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| Date: | Thursday 17 July 2025 |
| Time: | 16:00 |
| Type: | Paramotor |
| Owner/operator: | |
| Registration: | |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Unknown |
| Location: | Porto Sant‘Elpidio, Marche -
 Italy
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | |
| Departure airport: | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
A powered paraglider crashed into the pool area of a tourist facility in Porto Sant'Elpidio, Marche. The pilot, identified as 56-year-old Austrian base jumper and parachutist Felix Baumgartner, sustained fatal injuries. A female employee of the facility sustained minor injuries upon being struck during the crash.
An autopsy later revealed that Baumgartner suffered a spinal cord injury. It remains under investigation whether his death resulted from this injury during the crash or from a sudden medical episode in flight that may have occurred prior to impact. Investigators are also examining the possibility of a mechanical failure, such as a wing collapse caused by a camera becoming entangled in the propeller. Eyewitnesses described a spiral descent before impact, which may support the mechanical failure hypothesis.Felix Baumgartner was internationally recognized for his 2012 Red Bull Stratos mission, during which he jumped from a helium balloon at an altitude of 38,969 meters (127,852 feet), becoming the first person to break the sound barrier in free fall. The jump set three world records at the time: highest manned balloon flight, highest skydive, and fastest freefall speed (1,357.6 km/h).
Sources:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/35898180/felix-baumgartner-dead-paragliding-crash-earth-jump/
https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000279968/felix-baumgartner-bei-paragleit-unfall-in-italien-gestorben
https://www.krone.at/3845023
https://www.corriere.it/cronache/25_luglio_17/morto-felix-baumgartner-il-base-jumper-dei-record-b3fc2ec2-4c90-4712-8d55-8f3cd7c2bxlk.shtml
https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000280134/justiz-in-italien-befragt-augenzeugen-zu-tod-von-felix-baumgartner
https://www.rainews.it/tgr/marche/articoli/2025/07/i-dubbi-sullo-schinato-mortale-di-felix-baumgartner-nelle-prossime-ore-lautopsia-006e8384-6827-40a2-94a1-1bfffcf5b967.html
https://www.corriereadriatico.it/fermo/porto_sant_elpidio_felix_baumgartner_morto_parapendio_autopsia_recordman_lesioni_spina_dorsale-8971405.html
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-Jul-2025 18:46 | stefan_k | Added |
| 17-Jul-2025 18:48 | ASN | Updated [Embed code, Damage, Plane category, ] |
| 18-Jul-2025 09:22 | Henry in Oz | Updated [Location, Source, ] |
| 18-Jul-2025 09:22 | aero_adv | Updated [Category, ] |
| 20-Jul-2025 05:55 | stefan_k | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
| 22-Jul-2025 15:39 | YacineBoussoufa | Updated [Source, Narrative, ] |
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