Two licensed, experienced skydivers died Friday, November 6, after colliding in midair and plummeting to the ground in Lake Elsinore, California, authorities said.
The accident occurred around 11:45 a.m. in the airspace over Skydive Elsinore, a skydiving centre located about 60 miles southeast of Los Angeles. According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to reports of an air emergency in a field adjacent to the facility and found two people on the ground receiving medical care.
Both skydivers were rushed by ground ambulance to Inland Valley Medical Centre in Wildomar with critical injuries. They were pronounced dead at the hospital. Their identities have not been released.
Skydive Elsinore said in a statement that the free-fall portion of the jump and the opening of the parachutes were normal. However, as the skydivers were preparing to land, they collided around 150 ft above the ground.
The company said: “The collision caused their parachutes to become entangled, and both sustained critical injuries when they reached the ground.”
The skydivers were described as experienced, licensed individuals visiting from out of town to participate in an organised event. NBC Los Angeles reported that both were women taking part in a training camp hosted by the company.
Skydive Elsinore said there was no indication of equipment malfunction and that it is cooperating with local authorities.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the collision. Northeasterly winds were present in the Inland Empire at the time, with gusts of up to 20 mph near March Air Reserve Base, though it remains unclear whether wind played a role.
