Man in Ritzville skydiving accident died from blunt-force trauma, coroner says

May 29-The death of a skydiver in a midair collision last weekend was caused by "multiple blunt-force trauma," according to Adams County Coroner Tiffany Cutforth.

Cutforth ruled the death of 70-year-old Randy Hubbs, of Kennewick, an accident.

The other skydiver, 52-year-old Nicole Klein, of Colville, was hospitalized after the collision Sunday and was expected to fully recover, according to a news release from Skydive West Plains, the host business where the incident occurred.

Both were licensed and experienced skydivers, according to Skydive West Plains. Hubbs was a regular at the business and had gone skydiving around 800 times, while Klein has about 900 dives under her belt.

The two were part of an 11-person group jump scheduled at Skydive West Plains, 2045 E. Schoessler Road, off Interstate 90 near Ritzville.

After Hubbs and Klein separately jumped from a plane, witnesses said the two appeared to have a "normal free fall," according to the release. At 1,000 feet in the air, they deployed their parachutes but the parachutes collided.

From the ground, staff could see Hubbs was "incapacitated" and couldn't control his parachute, according to the Adams County Sheriff's Office. As he descended from 500 feet in the air, staff on the ground could make out his head and arms dangling as he "appeared unresponsive" and didn't make a controlled landing.

They watched Hubbs drift from the designated drop zone, disappearing beyond a hill northeast of where he intended to land.

The sheriff's office is investigating and could not immediately be reached for comment Friday.

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This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 7:07 PM.