In the United States, a 28-year-old skydiving student and her diving instructor died after being hit by a “dust cloud” in California. A dust cloud is a small but powerful tornado-like whirlwind that forms in very hot conditions and can reach heights of several thousand feet. New York PostThe woman, Kayla Keiko Black, was skydiving with experienced instructor Devery Laricia Chase on Friday when a “dust storm” sent them into an “uncontrolled spin,” leading to their deaths.
“Kayla was deeply loved by her family and friends who will always remember her kindness, warmth and unwavering support,” Ms Black’s family said on the GoFundMe page. “During this sad time we find solace in knowing that Kayla’s legacy will live on through her selfless decision to become an organ donor. Her generosity will provide hope and new beginnings for many individuals and families in need,” it added.
according to PostThe 28-year-old was jumping in tandem with Skydive Parisand instructor Devery Laricia Chase. The instructor managed to escape the first gust, but the two were caught in the second gust. “Eyewitnesses reported that both experienced normal free fall and parachute deployment,” said Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld, manager of the skydiving firm.
The manager said, “All aspects of the equipment and skydive were normal until the landing sequence and no problems were reported. While preparing for landing, the duo hit a turbulent air known as ‘Dust Devil’. This sudden contact with the turbulent air caused turbulence and caused both individuals to make a difficult landing.”
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After the incident, both the instructor and the skydiving student were taken to a local hospital. Ms. Lariccia’s family also started a GoFundMe page to help bring her body to her native state of Maine for burial, which had raised more than $59,000 by Thursday afternoon.
The instructor’s husband, Freddy Chase, told PEOPLE that he wanted to let Ms Black’s family know that he was “really sorry for what happened” but that he was “glad they had the chance to have one last conversation with Devery.” He also said earlier that there were “no problems” before the incident. He said his wife was doing her last jump of the day when she saw clouds of dust and got caught in one of them. “Her canopy then went out of control and fell to the ground,” he said.
