A planned attempt to make skydiving history ended in tragedy after two experienced female skydivers lost their lives in a mid-air collision during a training event in Southern California.

The incident occurred on Friday, November 6, 2026, at Skydive Elsinore in Lake Elsinore, California. The two women were participating in an organized skydiving event when their parachutes became entangled during their approach to the landing area, sending them to the ground with critical injuries.

Authorities later identified the victims as Georgia Jean, 56, of Box Elder, South Dakota, and Levi Pimentel, 29, of Aurora, Illinois. Both were licensed and experienced skydivers who had traveled from out of town to take part in the event.

According to information released by Skydive Elsinore, the accident happened at approximately 150 feet above the ground, during the final stage of the jump. The company said the freefall portion had proceeded normally and both parachutes had opened as expected. However, as the two participants prepared to land, they collided in the air.

The impact caused their parachutes to become tangled. With their canopies entangled at such a low altitude, both women fell to the ground and sustained critical injuries.

Emergency crews responded to the scene after receiving reports of an air emergency shortly before noon. Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies and fire department personnel arrived and found the two skydivers on the ground receiving medical assistance.

Both victims were transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital in critical condition. Despite emergency medical efforts, they were later pronounced dead.

The incident prompted an investigation involving local authorities and the Federal Aviation Administration. Officials said the FAA had been notified and would collect the parachutes for further examination as investigators work to establish the circumstances surrounding the collision.

THE WOMEN WERE TRAINING FOR A RECORD-BREAKING SKYDIVING ATTEMPT
As additional details emerged, it became clear that the two women were not simply participating in an ordinary recreational jump. They were part of a group of experienced female skydivers working toward a record-setting formation.

Professional skydiver Chazi Rutz, who was also involved in the training group, told the Los Angeles Times that the participants had been preparing to establish a new California record for the largest women’s upright skydiving formation.

An upright formation is a specialized discipline in which skydivers maintain a vertical body position during freefall. Rather than flying horizontally in a traditional belly-to-earth position, participants orient themselves as if they were sitting upright in the air while coordinating their movements and connecting with other members of the formation.

The group reportedly hoped to surpass the existing California record of a 12-way formation by bringing together 19 women.

The training jump on Friday involved a group of skydivers exiting an aircraft at approximately 12,500 feet. According to accounts shared by participants, the initial portion of the descent appeared to proceed without incident.

Rutz described the first minute of freefall as uneventful. The serious situation developed after the participants began deploying their parachutes.

As the skydivers transitioned from freefall to the landing phase, two participants came too close to one another. Their open parachutes subsequently became entangled, leaving them unable to complete a normal descent.

The collision occurred at approximately 150 feet above the ground, according to the statement released by Skydive Elsinore.

The loss was especially devastating for the group because the women had been working together toward a shared objective. They were experienced athletes who had traveled to California to participate in a specialized training event and pursue a record that would have represented a significant achievement in women’s formation skydiving.

Rutz described the two women as outgoing, kind and fun to be around. She also spoke about the emotional impact of losing members of a team that had gathered to participate in a sport they loved.

WHO WERE GEORGIA JEAN AND LEVI PIMENTEL?
The identities of the two victims were released by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office after the incident.

Georgia Jean, 56, was from Box Elder, South Dakota. She had been involved in skydiving since 2015 and had completed more than 1,700 jumps, according to information shared in her biography and reported by news outlets.

Her experience extended beyond recreational skydiving. Jean had also participated in competitive events and was associated with Team First Froth. Her team earned a bronze medal in the intermediate mixed formation skydiving category at the 2024 United States Parachute Association National Skydiving Championships.

Outside the sport, Jean had worked as a stand-up comedian and founded Circle Evolution, a business connected with energy work and life coaching. Her interests and professional activities reflected a life that extended across several different fields.

For Jean, skydiving had become a major part of her life after she discovered the sport in 2015. Over the following years, she accumulated more than 1,700 jumps and continued participating in organized events and competitions.

Levi Pimentel, 29, was from Aurora, Illinois. She was also an experienced skydiver and worked as a lead instructor at iFLY Indoor Skydiving in Naperville, Illinois, according to professional information reported by news organizations.

Pimentel reportedly completed more than 600 jumps after making her first skydive on her 18th birthday. She had also achieved recognition in the sport, including being part of a team that established a women’s head-down skydiving world record in 2022.

Her involvement in skydiving was not limited to teaching indoor flight techniques. She had continued pursuing outdoor skydiving and formation events, building experience through repeated jumps and participation in organized teams.

Pimentel was also expected to take part in another major project later in November. Reports indicated that she had planned to join approximately 39 other women from 12 countries in Arizona for an attempt to establish a new world record for the largest women’s upright skydiving formation.

The planned event was expected to bring together athletes from different countries, reflecting the international nature of competitive formation skydiving.

The two women therefore shared more than an interest in the sport. Both had accumulated substantial experience, participated in organized skydiving activities and continued working toward ambitious goals.

INVESTIGATORS EXAMINE WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE FINAL DESCENT
One of the important questions following the incident is what caused the two parachutes to become entangled during the landing approach.

Skydive Elsinore said there was no indication of an equipment malfunction. The company reported that the freefall portion of the jump had been normal and that both parachutes had opened at the expected altitude.

That information suggests the incident occurred after the parachutes were deployed, during the final phase when skydivers must maintain appropriate separation and control their descent toward the landing area.

However, the precise sequence of events remains part of the investigation.

The Federal Aviation Administration was notified and is expected to examine the parachutes as part of its review. The equipment may provide investigators with information about the condition and deployment of the canopies, although determining the full circumstances will require a broader examination of the event.

Investigators may need to consider the participants’ flight paths, their positions relative to one another, the timing of the parachute deployments and the conditions during the landing approach.

Weather conditions were also discussed in early reports. Northeast winds were present across parts of the Inland Empire on Friday, with gusts reported in the region. However, authorities have not established that wind conditions contributed to the collision.

At this stage, it would be premature to attribute the accident to a specific cause. The available information confirms that the parachutes became entangled after the two skydivers collided, but the investigation will be necessary to determine exactly how the situation developed.

Skydive Elsinore said it was cooperating with authorities following the incident.

A DEVASTATING LOSS FOR THE SKYDIVING COMMUNITY
The tragedy has deeply affected the participants who were training alongside Jean and Pimentel, as well as the wider skydiving community.

Formation skydiving requires coordination, communication, spatial awareness and precise control of body position. Participants must remain aware of the movements of other jumpers while managing their own descent and preparing for parachute deployment.

Even experienced athletes must make rapid decisions as conditions change during a jump. The landing phase is particularly important because parachutes occupy significant space in the air, and maintaining separation between canopies is essential.

For the women involved in Friday’s event, the training had been part of a larger effort to accomplish something historic. They had come together with a shared goal, and the accident transformed what was intended to be another step toward a record attempt into a devastating loss.

In its statement, Skydive Elsinore expressed its condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of both victims, saying the organization was grieving alongside everyone affected by the incident.

The company also confirmed that both women were experienced, licensed skydivers visiting the facility to participate in an organized event.

The investigation remains ongoing, and officials have not announced a final determination about the cause of the collision.

For now, the deaths of Georgia Jean and Levi Pimentel have left family members, friends, teammates and fellow skydivers mourning two women whose lives were closely connected to a sport they had dedicated years to pursuing.

What began as a coordinated training jump toward a record-breaking achievement ended in an accident that has raised difficult questions about the final moments of the descent. As investigators continue examining the parachutes and the circumstances surrounding the collision, the skydiving community is left remembering two experienced athletes who had traveled to California with a shared ambition.