The famous Austrian base jumper and parachutist Felix Baumgartner died on the coast of the Marche: during a paragliding flight, perhaps struck by illness, he lost control of the vehicle and fell into a swimming pool of a tourist facility in Porto Sant’Elpidio, in the province of Fermo. In addition to the victim, a girl was also injured, hit by the paraglider but not in serious condition : the tragedy occurred around 4 pm. According to initial information, Baumgartner suffered a cardiac arrest shortly after the impact: the rescuers did not even have time to load the man onto the air ambulance for transport to the hospital, he was already dead.
Known worldwide for his extreme feats, Baumgartner was 56 years old. He had become famous in particular for his incredible and historic launch from the stratosphere with which he set three world records. On October 14, 2012, the Austrian kept the whole world in suspense: he leaped from a hot air balloon at an altitude of 39,000 meters in free fall, becoming the first man to break the sound barrier . His flight reached 1,341.9 kilometers per hour, a speed 1.24 kilometers faster than the speed of sound. The fall lasted 4 minutes and 20 seconds, Baumgartner touching down in the desert of New Mexico. His flight will forever remain a watershed moment in the history of skydiving and extreme sports.
The mission set the record for the highest altitude ever reached by a manned hot air balloon, the highest altitude ever reached by a manned hot air balloon (later broken by Alan Eustace, vice president of Google), and the fastest speed ever achieved by a man in free fall. This remains Baumgartner's greatest achievement, with only the record for the longest free fall remaining (Joe Kittinger's record stood). His feat, achieved after more than two years of study and preparation funded by Red Bull, was followed live by over 8 million viewers on YouTube alone.
What is base jumping?
Base jumping is an extreme sport that involves parachuting from fixed objects such as buildings, antennas, bridges, or rock faces—hence the acronym B.A.S.E. (Buildings, Antennas, Span, Earth). Formally created in 1978 by Carl Boenish, it differs from traditional skydiving due to its much lower altitude and the absence of an emergency parachute. The lack of initial speed makes precision in take-off and posture essential to avoid malfunctions. Despite the high risk, partially mitigated by the introduction of wingsuits, base jumping has spawned an international community of practitioners and dedicated equipment. In Italy, one of the iconic locations is Mount Brento, known for its spectacular jumps.
