Skydiver killed, another injured in Washington group jump collision
A 70-year-old skydiver died after a collision during a 11-person group jump near Ritzville. Investigators say weather was not a factor and the cause remains under review.
A routine group jump in eastern Washington turned deadly when two skydivers collided during descent, killing Randy Hubbs and injuring Nicole Klein in Adams County.
The collision happened about 5:37 p.m. Sunday in the 2000 block of E. Schoessler Road near Ritzville, about 55 to 60 miles southwest of Spokane. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office said West Plains Skydiving organized the jump, which involved 11 participants. Authorities later identified the skydivers as Hubbs, 70, of the Kennewick area, and Klein of the Colville area.
Deputies said the impact occurred while the pair were descending. After the collision, Hubbs became incapacitated and was no longer in control of his parachute canopy, according to the sheriff’s office. Staff observed him from about 500 feet above ground level and tracked his drift north, away from the designated drop zone, before he disappeared beyond a hill to the northeast. Witnesses said he appeared unresponsive. The Adams County Coroner’s Office took custody of his body.
Klein survived the crash and was taken to a medical facility for additional treatment. Officials said weather conditions were not considered a contributing factor, narrowing the focus of the inquiry to what happened in the air and how the two jumpers came into contact during the group descent.
Local reports said both Hubbs and Klein were experienced skydivers using personally owned equipment, with Hubbs said to have completed about 800 jumps and Klein about 900. Those details, if borne out, make the collision stand out less as a novice mistake than as a rare failure in a sport that relies on disciplined separation, constant awareness and precise canopy control. The sheriff’s office said the investigation remains ongoing and asked anyone with information to contact investigators.
The case now sits at the intersection of recreation and oversight: a scheduled tandem-style group operation with 11 people, a fatal midair collision, and an unanswered question about how two seasoned jumpers ended up on the same descent path.
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