Felix Baumgartner, the Austrian base jumper and skydiver best known for his record-breaking jump from the stratosphere, died in a paragliding accident in Italy yesterday. He was 56. Baumgartner reportedly lost control of his paraglider and crashed into a hotel swimming pool in the coastal town of Porto Sant’Elpidio. The impact also struck a woman nearby, though she was not seriously injured. Authorities are currently investigating the exact cause of the crash.
Baumgartner gained global fame in 2012 when he completed a historic skydive from approximately 24 miles above Earth, leaping from a pressurised capsule in the stratosphere. The feat set world records for the highest freefall and fastest descent by a human without mechanical propulsion.
