Skydiver killed, another injured after midair collision in Washington state

One skydiver was killed and another injured after they collided midair during a jump in Washington state on Saturday, authorities said. 

The incident happened around 5:30 p.m. local time, as both skydivers participated in “a scheduled group jump” organized by a licensed skydiving company in the city of Ritzville, according to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, which responded to the crash. Eleven people were involved in the group jump, the office said. Ritzville is about 60 miles southwest of Spokane.

Authorities identified the skydiver who died as Randy Hubbs, of the Kennewick area, and the one injured as Nicole Klein, of the Colville area. 

Staff members at the skydiving company and other witnesses said Hubbs appeared to become incapacitated after he and Klein crashed into each other during their descent, and no longer seemed in control of his parachute, the sheriff’s office said. 

The staff said they began to track Hubbs’ movements when he reached 500 feet above ground and began to drift away from “the designated drop zone.” Witnesses also told authorities that Hubbs appeared to be unresponsive, “with his head and arms down, before disappearing beyond a hill,” according to the sheriff’s office. Weather conditions did not contribute to the collision, the office said.

The sheriff’s office said an investigation into the crash is underway and asked anyone with information about it to contact them.

“We offer our deepest condolences to those impacted by this incident,” the office said in a statement.

The skydiving company, called Skydive West Plains, said Hubbs and Klein were experienced divers who had respectively completed roughly 800 and 900 jumps, CBS affiliate KREM reported. Hubbs, 70, and Klein, 52, were free-falling as part of the group jump, Skydive West Plains told the station. Neither was aware of the other’s location when they made contact in the air, the company said.

Klein suffered a hip injury in the collision and is expected to fully recover, KREM reported. The sheriff’s office had said she was transported to a medical facility for treatment after it happened. 

Skydive West Plains said Hubbs was a member of its skydiving community for several years.

“The Skydive West Plains community is mourning the loss of a friend who has been part of the dropzone family for nearly a decade. The team’s thoughts are also with the second jumper and her family as she recovers,” the company said in a statement, KREM reported. “Skydive West Plains is a USPA Group Member Dropzone and remains committed to upholding the highest standards of training, safety, and professionalism.”