Felix Baumgartner, The First Skydiver Dies In An Italian Crash

Felix Baumgartner, who made history as the first skydiver to break the sound barrier with a 24 mile jump from the stratosphere over ten years ago, tragically passed away in a crash on Thursday along Italy’s eastern coast. He was 56.

Italian firefighters reported that a paraglider collided with the side of a swimming pool in Porto Sant Elpidio.

The mayor of the city announced Baumgartner’s death in a post on social media.

“Our community is profoundly impacted by the heartbreaking vanishing of Felix Baumgartner, a globally recognized figure, embodying bravery and enthusiasm for extreme flight”, stated Mayor Massimiliano Ciarpella.

Baumgartner, famously dubbed “Fearless Felix”, amazed everyone back in 2012 when he became the first person to break the sound barrier using just his body. He donned a pressurized suit and leaped from a capsule that was lifted over 24 miles (39 kilometers) above the Earth by a massive helium balloon in New Mexico.

The Austrian, a member of the Red Bull Stratos team, reached a maximum speed of 843.6 mph which is about 1.25 times the speed of sound during a 9 minute drop. At one stage, he entered a risky flat spin while still going supersonic, spinning for 13 seconds, according to his crew later.

“When I was up there on top of the world, it really puts you in a humble place. You stop worrying about breaking records or collecting scientific data. All you care about is making it back alive”, he shared after touching down in the eastern New Mexico desert.

Baumgartner, who used to be an Austrian military parachutist, completed thousands of jumps from planes, bridges, skyscrapers, and iconic sites, including the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil.

The height he jumped from was also the highest ever for a skydiver, breaking the old record set in 1960 by Joe Kittinger, who was a mentor to Baumgartner during this incredible achievement.

In 2012, millions tuned in to YouTube’s livestream as Baumgartner casually gave a thumbs up when he exited the capsule high above Earth, then deployed his parachute as he approached the ground, raising his arms in triumph after landing.

In the last few years, he has been a helicopter stunt pilot with The Flying Bulls, performing in shows all over Europe.

After his record setting jump in 2012, Baumgartner mentioned that going faster than the speed of sound is “tough to explain since you don’t actually feel it”.

He also remarked, “Sometimes we need to reach great heights to realize how tiny we really are”.