💔 Just 150 Feet From Safety: Two Female Skydivers Die in Midair Collision While Training for Record-Breaking Jump in California
They had jumped from thousands of feet above California, successfully completed their freefall and opened their parachutes without trouble. The ground was almost within reach. Then, just 150 feet above the landing zone, two experienced skydivers collided. Their parachutes became entangled, turning a historic record attempt into a devastating tᩚraɢedy.
LAKE ELSINORE, CALIFORNIA — November 9, 2026. Two accomplished female skydivers have died after a midair collision during a training event intended to establish a new California skydiving record.
Authorities identified the victims as Levi Pimentel, 29, of Aurora, Illinois, and Georgia Jean, 56, of Box Elder, South Dakota.
Both women were experienced, licensed skydivers who had traveled to Southern California to participate in an organized formation skydiving event at Skydive Elsinore.
The accident occurred Friday, November 6, at approximately 11:45 a.m.
According to the skydiving facility, the freefall went normally, and both participants successfully deployed their parachutes.
But as they approached the landing area, the women collided at an altitude of approximately 150 feet.
Their parachutes became tangled, and both suffered ᑕriᩚtiᩚcal injuries upon reaching the ground.
They were transported to a nearby hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
A Record Attempt That Ended in tᩚraɢedy
The skydivers had gathered in Lake Elsinore to train for a challenging aerial formation.
Their goal was to establish a new California record for the largest women’s formation performed in an upright position.
In this form of skydiving, participants maintain a vertical, seated-like orientation during freefall.
The maneuver requires precise coordination, positioning and awareness of other skydivers.
Professional skydiver Chazi Rutz, 46, who participated in the training, told the Los Angeles Times that the group hoped to complete a 19-person formation.
The previous state record involved 12 participants.
The atmosphere was intended to be one of teamwork, preparation and shared achievement.
But the day’s events ended in heartbreak.
Everything Appeared Normal at First
According to accounts from participants and the skydiving operator, the group exited the aircraft and began the planned freefall.
The initial portion of the jump proceeded without reported problems.
Participants performed their formation work in the air.
Both Pimentel and Jean then deployed their parachutes successfully.
Skydive Elsinore emphasized that there was no indication of an equipment malfunction.
The women continued descending under open parachutes toward the landing area.
At that stage, the most technically demanding portion of the formation jump was behind them.
But safe parachute flight and landing remained essential.
The Collision Happened Near the Ground
The ᑕriᩚtiᩚcal incident occurred approximately 150 feet above the landing zone.
At that height, the two women collided while flying under their parachutes.
The canopies became entangled.
The collision disrupted their descent, leaving very little altitude before ground contact.
Both women suffered severe injuries.
The incident demonstrates why the landing phase of skydiving requires careful spacing and coordination, even after parachutes have opened properly.
However, investigators have not determined precisely what caused the two skydivers to come into contact.
No official findings have established that either participant made an error.
Emergency Crews Rush to the Landing Zone
Riverside County emergency responders received reports of an aviation emergency shortly before noon.
Firefighters, paramedics and sheriff’s deputies arrived near the Skydive Elsinore facility on Cereal Street.
They found both women critically injured.
Emergency personnel provided medical assistance and arranged transportation to a hospital.
Despite those efforts, neither survived.
According to subsequent reporting based on coroner information, Jean was pronounced dead at 12:26 p.m., followed by Pimentel at 12:29 p.m.
The close timing of their deaths underscores how quickly the accident unfolded.
For fellow skydivers, what had begun as a day of record preparation became a moment of overwhelming grief.
Remembering Georgia Jean, 56
Georgia Jean had been involved in skydiving for more than a decade.
She began participating in the sport in 2015 and completed more than 1,700 jumps.
Her experience extended beyond recreational skydiving.
She was also a competitive athlete.
In 2024, she earned a bronze medal as part of a formation skydiving team at the United States Parachute Association National Skydiving Championships.
Outside skydiving, Jean had worked as a stand-up comedian and operated a life-coaching and energy-work business.
Her background reflected a life shaped by different creative and personal pursuits.
Skydiving had become one of her greatest passions.
She traveled to California to join other women in pursuing a challenging sporting achievement.
Remembering Levi Pimentel, 29
Levi Pimentel was also an accomplished skydiver.
She had completed more than 600 jumps and worked as a lead instructor at iFLY Indoor Skydiving in Naperville, Illinois.
Her professional role involved helping others experience and learn bodyflight skills.
Pimentel first tried skydiving on her 18th birthday.
Over the following years, she developed extensive experience and participated in competitive formation events.
In 2022, she was part of a women’s head-down skydiving world-record formation.
She had also been preparing for another international record attempt involving women from multiple countries later in November.
At 29, she had already built an impressive history in the sport.
Her dєatᩚh has deeply affected the skydiving community.
The Investigation Focuses on What Happened Before Landing
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident.
The Federal Aviation Administration has also been notified and is expected to collect the parachutes for examination.
Authorities will need to reconstruct the final approach and determine how the collision occurred.
The investigation may involve reviewing equipment, witness accounts and available information about the flight paths.
Skydive Elsinore has said there was no indication of mechanical failure.
However, the absence of an apparent equipment malfunction does not establish the complete cause of the accident.
Investigators have not publicly assigned responsibility to either skydiver.
Fellow Skydivers Mourn Two Friends
The accident has affected a close-knit community of athletes who share a demanding sport.
Both women traveled to Lake Elsinore because they wanted to participate in something meaningful.
They were working with other experienced participants toward a common record.
Chazi Rutz, who trained alongside them, described the women as kind, outgoing and passionate about skydiving.
Her comments emphasized the friendship and shared enthusiasm within the group.
For those who were present, the tᩚraɢedy was not simply a sporting accident.
It meant losing two people they knew and respected.
A tᩚraɢedy That Highlights the Risks of Landing
Skydiving involves several distinct phases, from aircraft exit to freefall, parachute deployment, canopy flight and landing.
Even experienced participants must continue managing their positions and separation throughout the descent.
A collision between open parachutes near the ground can be particularly dangerous because there may be little time or altitude available to recover.
The United States Parachute Association recorded 16 skydiving fatalities across approximately 3.47 million jumps in 2025.
Fatal accidents are uncommon relative to the number of jumps performed, but the risks remain real.
The Lake Elsinore case is especially heartbreaking because both participants were experienced and their parachutes reportedly functioned normally before the collision.
A Dream That Ended Just Before Landing
The record attempt was supposed to celebrate skill, teamwork and the achievements of women in skydiving.
Georgia Jean and Levi Pimentel were part of that shared ambition.
They had completed hundreds and thousands of jumps between them.
They had devoted years to developing t
