Skydiving instructor from Menifee dies in hard landing

Photo courtesy of GoFundMe site for Devrey LaRiccia Chase

By Doug Spoon, Editor

A skydiving instructor and Menifee resident died Friday in a hard landing during a tandem jump in Perris. The accompanying student died two days later, according to multiple sources.

Devrey LaRiccia Chase, 28, and the student were descending about 2:30 p.m. when they were caught in a “dust devil,” a strong and short-lived whirlwind seen frequently in the Perris area, above an open field in the 2000 block of Goetz Road. The student, identified as Kayla Keiko Black, 28, died from her injuries on Sunday, her father told KTKA News.

Chase’s husband, Freddy, described to KTLA the circumstances of the hard landing.

“She missed the first one, and when she maneuvered around it, she hit the second one,” Freddy Chase said about two dust devils the pair encountered. “At that point, she was about 25 to 30 feet in the air…it sent her canopy in a downward spiral.”

Black was identified as a resident of Buena Park.

More than $59,000 had been raised by Wednesday morning on a GoFundMe site established in Chase's name.