NBC News reported that the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office in central California stated that the accident happened around 1:30 p.m. at a skydiving center in Acampo. About 30 seconds after jumping from the plane, the two skydivers collided in mid-air. One’s leg struck the other’s head, causing the latter to lose consciousness and fail to deploy their parachute, leading to their death. The former landed safely at the nearby Lodi Airport but suffered a broken leg.
The center's owner said the two were good friends who had gone skydiving together at least 400 times. They were very experienced, well-known, and respected in the area.
The owner also added that there had been eight previous skydiving accidents. Despite the one-death, one-injury incident that day, many people continued to skydive after a brief pause.
Fox News reported that this skydiving center in Acampo had previously been heavily fined by the Federal Aviation Administration. In 2010, it was fined $664,000 for failing to replace aircraft parts as required, not complying with safety regulations, and having critical components beyond their service life.
In 2011, the center was again fined $269,000 by the aviation administration for failing to comply with the 2009 airworthiness management regulations.
The Federal Aviation Administration will arrive at the site on April 30 to investigate the accident.