Austrian skydiver and BASE jumper Felix Baumbartner, famous for his 2012 jump from earth’s stratosphere, was killed in a paramotoring accident on Thursday, July 17, on Italy’s Adriatic coast. He was 56.

According to local reports, Baumgartner was piloting a paramotor—an ultralight aircraft that uses a wing-like parachute—when he crashed into a hotel pool in the town of Porto Sant’Elpidio, 170 miles northeast of Rome. The impact injured a hotel employee, local reports said.

The town’s mayor announced the accident on social media, and lamented the loss of Baunbartner.

“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,” Massimiliano Ciarpella, said in a social media post.

Baumgartner’s longtime sponsor, Red Bull, confirmed the news in a statement on its website.

We are shocked and overwhelmed with sadness to hear the devastating news of our longtime friend Felix Baumgartner.

Felix was “born to fly” and was determined to push the limits. He was also smart, professional, thorough and meticulous, never leaving anything to chance. He was generous, giving much of his time to help and inspired so many people.

We remember Felix as a lovely person, devoted to his family and friends, to whom we send our heartfelt sympathy.

A Skydiving Icon Who Pushed the Limits

Baumgartner rose to fame as a skydiver and BASE jumper in the nineties and early aughts by attempting record-breaking jumps from prominent landmarks. In 1999, he jumped from the Petronas Towers in Malaysia—a world record at the time—and shortly thereafter BASE jumped from the Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

He recorded other jumps that garnered attention—BASE jumping from France’s Millau Viaduct and from the Turning Torso building in Sweden.

“I was always looking for goals that no one had accomplished before, because even if you hurt yourself, you would’ve done something outstanding and unique,” Baumgartner said in a statement published to the Red Bull website. “So sometimes you really have to hurt yourself, you have to go through fire, but at least it should be worth it.”

Baumgartner garnered international fame in 2012 when his world-record jump from the edge of the Earth’s atmosphere was beamed live across the world. The stunt was titled Red Bull Stratos.

In a 2012 story, Outside estimated the cost of the project to be $65 million.

Baumgartner flew to the edge of space in a capsule that was pulled upward by a stratospheric balloon. When the pod reached an elevation of 128,100 feet above the ground, Baumgartner opened the door and stepped onto the ledge, wearing a pressurized safety suit.

He then dropped, falling for 4 minutes and 19 seconds. During his fall he reached a top speed of 834.5 miles-per-hour. His jump set a score of new records: highest manned ballon flight, highest altitude jump, and fastest human flight without engine power.

The livestream of his feat attracted 9.5 million viewers on YouTube.

But the fall was no cake walk—after a minute into his flight, Baumgartner began to spin violently. The motion could have caused him to lose consciousness, but Baumgartner managed to stabilize himself.

Eventually, his parachutes deployed, and he floated to safety near Roswell, New Mexico.

After the stunt, Baumgartner told Outside that the heightened media attention increased the pressure on him to get every detail right.

“The development took so much longer because we had to build a flying TV studio for live transmission, and, of course, if there is a camera in my face all the time, it’s not making my life easier,” he said.

When asked about his next daredevil stunt, Baumgartner told the reporters on the ground that Red Bull Stratos was his last.

“I am officially retired from the daredevil business,” he said.

Day 36 – 10 before 10

23 Miles

On day 36 we hiked 23 miles. This was our biggest day yet and the Vermont terrain was a lot of ups and downs that seemed never ending.

The alarm was set for 4 am, and we were out of camp right at 5. We managed to do our first 10 before 10, ten miles before ten am, that is! As soon as we completed this, we had an early lunch because our breakfast was less than substantial.

It was hot and muggy, and we hadn’t come across many bodies of water to cool off in. Eventually, a big rainstorm came down and washed over us, helping with the heat and sweat.

We got our first views of Mt. Killington. We were slated to climb it first thing after our zero day. Hopefully, we get good views!

Eventually, we made it out of the woods and did a little road walk to the closest bus stop. This would take us into Rutland, so we can take the following day off the trail. Nick went into the bike shop and bought us Victory Craft sodas to enjoy while we waited for the bus.

The public transportation came right on time, and it was free! We were also headed to a free hostel called the Hiker’s Hostel in Rutland. It turns out it’s run by the folks who own the Yellow Deli. We’ve been anticipating this meet-up with Bugs since the beginning of our journey, and it was finally here! We haven’t been around familiar faces much, so spending a couple of days with an old friend is a much-needed break.

Day 37 – Rutland R&R

Zero Miles

Day 37 was our second zero day. We woke up around 7 and had breakfast with the folks helping out at the hostel. Breakfast was scrambled eggs, rice, and cheese. We went to a cafe down the street for some stronger coffee and pastries to fill our hungry hiker bellies, and sat there for at least an hour.

Nick and I needed to do a small resupply so we all three went to Walmart then a grocery store. We got some grocery store sushi for lunch and cannoli for dessert. Back to the hostel for a nap and to catch up with family. Dinner was at a Mexican restaurant.

After dinner we were looking to kill some time so we found a local bar that was hosting a music bingo night. Nick won the first bingo and Katie and I won the fourth and fifth.

Our typical early bedtimes commanded us back to our sleeping quarters before dark. Tomorrow we all resume hiking so a good night sleep with clear minds is imperative.

Day 38 – Bye Bye Bugs and Cloudy Killington

18 miles

We had another rice and egg breakfast before our send-off. The accommodations at the hostel were very nice, but the helpers had time to chat for hours, and we did not. It seemed they were trying to recruit new members, but this ragtag trio of hikers was ready to get back on the trail.

We said a preliminary goodbye to Bugs on the bus, knowing we would see her again shortly. Our trailheads were only three miles apart, so we would run into each other again within the hour.

Sure enough, we found our friend again in the woods! We chatted for another twenty minutes before hugs and well wishes, and of course, after we high-fived!

It was a fairly cloudy day, so our summit of Mt. Killington offered no views, but I’m sure they are very nice otherwise.

After Killington, our descent was smooth, and we were finally cruising again. We hit the 500-mile to Katahdin marker, we’re almost 1/4 of the way done with the trail.

We got some intel that there was a farm stand just off the trail that had ice cream and other snacks. Of course, we had to go!

Ice cream, craft sodas, and spicy radish micro greens were enjoyed by Nick and me as we chatted with some NOBOs named Sticks & Stones and Heartbeat.

Our campsite for the night was only 1/2 mile away from the farm stand, so we weren’t concerned with getting there anytime soon.

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