Felix Baumgartner's official cause of death after famous skydiver's freak accident

The cause of death has been revealed for Austriandaredevil Felix Baumgartner, who was killed in a catastrophic paraglider crash while descending over an Italian resort.

The 56-year-old Red Bull-sponsored athlete died at around 4pm local time on Thursday after his motorised paraglider spiralled fatally out of control above Porto Sant’Elpidio, a coastal town in Italy’s Fermo province. Baumgartner, who was holidaying with his partner Michela Radulescu, had been soaring above the Adriatic Sea when he crashed into a swimming pool at the Le Mimose holiday camp.

An investigation into the incident is now underway. Attorney General Raffaele Iannella confirmed to BILD that autopsies are currently being carried out on Baumgartner’s body at the forensic medicine department of nearby Fermo hospital.

READ MORE: Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner killed in horror paragliding crash

He said: "What we know for sure so far: Baumgartner died on impact, his spine fractured in the lower part of his back, and his spinal cord was damaged."

Local media reports suggest a freak mid-air malfunction may have caused the sudden descent. Investigators are examining the possibility that a camera mounted to Baumgartner’s paraglider dislodged and fell into the propeller, destroying it mid-flight.

Authorities are working to recover the camera to piece together a clearer timeline of the crash. Italy’s public prosecutor’s office has said the investigation could take between 40 and 45 days to complete.

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In the aftermath of the tragedy, Michela Radulescu posted chilling footage of Baumgartner taken just minutes before his final flight.

Sharing the clip on X, she wrote: “For over 12 years I was there for every take off and landing, from skydiving, paragliding, helicopter flights, paramotor to aerobatic shows. And when I couldn’t be there for some heli flights, we had the WLC code - ‘the Wifey Landing Call’. Never missed one. Except …this one.”

Describing him as “truly special,” she said Baumgartner was “going home now, up there, where he was the happiest ever.” The 55-year-old also thanked supporters for keeping “his unique legacy high up.”

Baumgartner shot to global fame in 2012 when he jumped from the edge of space in what remains the world’s most extreme skydive.