FILE VIDEO: A storm chaser films the moment he accelerates straight into a dust devil on Interstate 8 in Sentinel, Arizona. (Video: Mike Olbinski via Storyful)
RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. – An instructor at Skydive Perris in Riverside County, California, died after encountering a “dust devil” that sent her and a student crashing to the ground in what many described as a “freak accident.”
Devrey LaRiccia Chase, 28, was skydiving with a student on Aug. 2 when she hit the “dust devil” around 40 feet above the ground, her husband and fellow skydiver Freddy Chase shared in an Instagram Story.
LaRiccia and her student were able to safely glide away from the first dust devil, but it was the second one that sent the pair into an “uncontrollable spin,” her husband said.
“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,” he added.
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According to the National Weather Service, dust devils are small tornadoes that form in areas of strong surface heating, like Arizona, when there are clear skies and light winds.
“With dust devils going over grass, they become invisible because you can’t see any dust in the direction they’re going,” he said.
LaRiccia was found unconscious but breathing and taken to the hospital where she later died.
Her student, who was not identified, was reportedly seriously injured.
The family of LaRiccia started a GoFundMe in an effort to bring her home to be buried in her home state of Maine.
“We knew that Devrey was well-loved among the skydiving community, however, what we couldn’t foresee was her impact across not only the U.S., but overseas as well. Since creating this, our phones have been buzzing non-stop with support and love for our angel,” her family wrote.
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According to its website, Skydive Perris has been in operation for nearly 50 years and is touted as “one of the largest and most established skydiving dropzones in the US,” facilitating more than 100,000 skydives annually.
Located at Perris Vallery Airport, the facility is popular among both locals and celebrities. Most recently, Tom Cruise was at Skydive Perris filming an episode of “The Late Late Show with James Corden” in July.
LaRiccia was one of the 22 instructors part of the Skydive Perris team.
Perris is located about 71 miles east of Los Angeles.