Daredevil Felix Baumgartner, 56, dies in paragliding crash after striking woman, nearly hitting children

PORTO SANT'ELPIDIO, ITALY: Austrian daredevil and extreme sports icon Felix Baumgartner has died at the age of 56 after crashing his motorised paraglider in Italy.

The tragic incident occurred in the afternoon of Thursday, July 17, near a crowded swimming pool in Porto Sant'Elpidio, where the Red Bull-sponsored athlete was vacationing with his wife, Mihaela Schwartzenberg.

Eyewitnesses and reports from Italian media state that Baumgartner lost consciousness mid-flight and plummeted to the ground, fatally crashing into a wooden structure near Le Mimose campsite. A female hotel worker was also injured in the impact but is expected to recover. 

Felix Baumgartner may have suffered a cardiac arrest in the air

Felix Baumgartner took off from Fermo on a powered paraglider but reportedly began feeling unwell before the flight. Around 4 pm, while flying above the Marche coastline, he appeared to lose control and eventually crashed near the campsite pool, where numerous children were playing.

As per local media reports, he may have suffered a cardiac arrest in the air, leading to a loss of control.

Some bystanders and campsite staff tried to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Emergency responders had called for an air ambulance to transport him to Torrette Hospital in Ancona, but resuscitation efforts failed.

Moments before the crash, Baumgartner had shared a post on Instagram Story, captioning it, "Too much wind."

He was seen circling calmly over a field, unaware of the imminent tragedy.

Horrified tourists, children witness Felix Baumgartner’s fatal crash as wife Mihaela rushes to scene

The final moments of Felix Baumgartner’s descent were witnessed by dozens of vacationers. The paraglider struck a wooden feature near the swimming pool before hitting a hotel worker, who was subsequently taken to Murri Hospital with non-serious injuries. Children playing nearby also witnessed the crash, which took place in full view of the public.

The city's mayor, Massimiliano Ciarpella, paid tribute, writing, “Our community is deeply affected by the tragic disappearance of Felix Baumgartner, a figure of global prominence, a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flight.”

Baumgartner’s wife, Mihaela, who had been vacationing with him, was informed immediately and rushed to the scene.

Felix Baumgartner’s legacy of fearless flight and record-breaking jumps lives on

Felix Baumgartner was best known globally for his record-breaking 2012 jump from the edge of space.

Wearing a pressurized suit, he ascended to an altitude of 127,852 feet in a capsule carried by a helium balloon and then performed a free fall lasting 4 minutes and 30 seconds, reaching speeds of 843.6 mph and breaking the sound barrier. Millions around the world watched the jump live across 77 television networks.

In a 2022 interview with MailOnline marking the 10th anniversary of the jump, Baumgartner described the silence and surreal peace at the edge of space: "I looked up and the sky was black. It was completely silent. All you can hear is yourself breathing."

His record-setting mission took more than a decade of preparation. His inspiration, retired fighter pilot Joe Kittinger, had jumped from 102,800 feet in 1960 and mentored Baumgartner through the process.

“Joe made it very clear the first time I met him, I’m interested but I’m only going to support you if you take it seriously. You can’t go from zero to hero. We have to do it the right way,” Baumgartner once recalled.

Born in Salzburg, Austria, Baumgartner began skydiving at the age of 16 and started collaborating with Red Bull in 1988. He became a global phenomenon with his BASE jumps from iconic structures, including the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, the Millau Viaduct in France, and Taipei 101 in Taiwan. In 2003, he became the first person to fly across the English Channel in a wingsuit.

Diver Christian Redl, a close mentee and friend, remembered Baumgartner as “very risk-conscious, a person who put a lot of thought into his jumps.” Reflecting on the space jump, Baumgartner had said, “You’re always thinking, what more can I do? Go faster? Go higher? It’s always floating out there.”

Baumgartner is survived by his wife and a legacy that redefined the limits of human courage and flight.