California: In what turned out to be the last dive of their lives, a skydiving instructor and her student were killed during a skydive after hitting after pair encountered a “dust devil” during a routine parachute jump.
The deceased have been identified as Devrey LaRiccia Chase (28) and Kayla Black, 28 who was the student of the former.
According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, Kayla Black died at the hospital two days later while undergoing treatment in the hospital.
Eyewitnesses said that the instructor managed to evade the first gust, but two individuals became ensnared in the second and reported that the tandem pair went through a typical free fall and parachute deployment.
What is a Dust Devil?
According to the National Weather Service, a dust devil resembles small tornadoes, and contains dust and debris that form in very hot conditions that can reach heights of several thousand feet.
My Daughter Wanted To Venture Out in Different Activities
Bill Black, father of Kayla Black said that her daughter had an infectious personality and she always loved to be part of adventures.
“She had many regulars that loved her, and she was already touching lives at Benihana, as she had an infectious personality,” her father said. “I know it’s not glamorous but that was her dream,” he said. “She loved to venture out and try different activities, such as skydiving.”
(Kayla Black, sky diving student)
Freddy Chase, the instructor’s husband said that what happened with Kayla was “sad” and wanted Black’s family to know how truly sorry he is.
(Devrey LaRiccia Chase, Instructor)
However, he also expressed relief that she was able to have her last conversation with Devrey. He had previously stated that there was no malfunction prior to the incident. Chase explained that his wife was making her final jump of the day when she encountered dust devils and got caught in one, which caused her canopy to spin uncontrollably toward the ground.
Meanwhile, the diving company manager said that interaction with the dust devil caused a hard landing for the victims.
“All aspects of the equipment and skydive was normal without any reported issues until the landing sequence. While preparing for landing the tandem pair hit disturbed air known as a ‘dust devil.’ The interaction with this sudden disturbed air causes turbulence and a hard landing for both individuals,” the manager added.
‘One Last Dive’: Skydiving Student, Instructor Killed In US After Hitting ‘Dust Devil’ During Jump world-news World News | Latest International News | Global World News | World News Today
