SoCal Skydiving Instructor and Student Die After ‘Dust Devil’ Disrupts Tandem Fall

The pair had deployed their parachute, witnesses said, but turbulent air caught them and caused a deadly fall.
SoCal Skydiving Instructor and Student Die After ‘Dust Devil’ Disrupts Tandem Fall
Devrey LaRiccia Chase, a skydiving instructor, and a student died Aug. 2, 2024, after a so-called “dust devil” of turbulent air caused them to have a hard and deadly fall in Riverside County, Calif. Courtesy of Freddy Chase
Rudy Blalock
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A skydiving instructor and student died Aug. 2 after a so-called “dust devil” of turbulent air caught them by surprise, causing a hard and ultimately deadly fall, according to Skydive Perris in Riverside County.

“The skydiving community is small and tight-knit, and this tragic loss has profoundly affected the Skydive Perris community,” company manager Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld said in a press release following the accident.