Two Skydivers Die After Midair Collision Over Lake Elsinore

Two experienced skydivers died Friday after they collided in the air and their parachutes tangled near the end of a jump over Lake Elsinore in Southern California, officials said. The jump took place shortly before noon during a women’s world-record event hosted by the drop zone Skydive Elsinore.

Both were licensed jumpers visiting from out of town. Their names were withheld until relatives could be notified.

What happened during the jump

Skydive Elsinore said in a statement that witnesses described a normal freefall and that both jumpers opened their canopies at the expected height. The collision came as they were getting ready to land, at about 150 feet above the ground, according to the center.

The Riverside County Fire Department said the two had traumatic injuries. They were taken to a hospital in critical condition and later pronounced dead, Lt. Deirdre Vickers of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said in an email.

The crash site was a little more than half a mile from Skydive Elsinore. Officials have not given a cause. The center said there was no sign that either jumper’s equipment failed.

The record attempt at Skydive Elsinore

Spokesperson Josh Hall said both skydivers were taking part with the California Women’s Upright Record team. The group was organizing an attempt to set a world record for the number of women flying together in a standing, upright body position, a style of freefall in which jumpers fall feet first instead of belly down.

Hall said Skydive Elsinore was hosting the event but was not its organizer. A calendar posting showed the event scheduled to run through Sunday. Organizers did not immediately respond to a request for comment, NBC News reported.

Skydive Elsinore said it was grieving with the families and friends of both jumpers and offered its “deepest condolences.”

What it means for visitors to Lake Elsinore

Lake Elsinore is a city in Riverside County, about 75 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. Skydive Elsinore hosts outside groups such as the record team, and both of the jumpers who died had traveled there for the event.

The accident happened in the last stage of the jump, after both parachutes were open and the two were preparing to land. Skydive Elsinore said the freefall went as planned and found no sign of an equipment problem, so the open question is how the two canopies came together so close to the ground. Officials have not said what caused it, and no closure of the center or change to the event schedule has been announced.

How often skydivers die in the U.S.

The United States Parachute Association says 16 skydivers died in jumps in the U.S. last year. The group estimates there were 3.47 million jumps in 2025 and calls the death count low compared with the sport’s deadliest years in the 1970s.

Source: NBC News