Skydiving instructor dies after hitting dust devil

A skydiving instructor in California was killed after she hit a dust devil mid-fall, and crashed into a field.

Devrey LaRiccia was doing a tandem jump with a student when they were caught in a whirlwind, KTLA reported.

It happened in Southern California’s Inland Empire area.

Law enforcement officials said she and the student were found in an open field at Skydive Perris, which according to the company’s website is one of “the largest, most state-of-the-art, and highly-respected dropzones in the world.”

Both LaRiccia and the student were taken to an area hospital. LaRiccia died, while the student, whose name was not released, had major injuries.

The sheriff’s office does not believe there was any foul play, but the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating, USA Today reported.

It was LaRiccia’s last jump of the day.

“There was no malfunction, there was no plane incident, she was turning her canopy on final to come land safely on the grass, like she has done hundreds of times,” her husband Freddie Chase, told USA Today. “She noticed what we call in the industry ‘dust devils’ small little tornados that are dangerous in the sport.”

Dust devils are common, according to the National Weather Service and are rapidly rotating winds filled with dust. They are formed when the ground is hot and are smaller and less intense than a tornado. They are between 500 and 1,000 feet high and last only minutes.

Chase said LaRiccia missed one but got into a second dust devil and “sent her canopy in an uncontrolled spin to the ground.” KTLA and USA Today reported.

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