An investigating prosecutor has concluded that human error caused the fatal paraglider accident that killed legendary Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner in July, according to The Guardian.
Baumgartner, 56, famed for becoming the first person to break the sound barrier in freefall in 2012, died on July 17 when his motorized paraglider unexpectedly entered a spiral descent and crashed near a hotel swimming pool on Italy's Adriatic coast.
Lead prosecutor Raffaele Iannella confirmed on Tuesday that investigators found no technical failures or defects in the paraglider’s hardware. Instead, the evidence suggests Baumgartner failed to execute the correct maneuver to recover the wing from a spin.
"He fell into a spiral, and he could not get out. He was unable to do the maneuver that he should have done to exit" the fall, Iannella said in a statement.
According to the official findings, Baumgartner's craft showed no sign of mechanical malfunction. Witnesses earlier reported that the flight appeared normal until the sudden spin began. Iannella now plans to request that the case be formally closed, pending a judge's approval.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.