The Latest: 1 of 2 skydivers killed was first-time jumper

SAN FRANCISCO – The Latest on the deaths of two young skydivers killed jumping in tandem over Northern California (all times local):

10:50 a.m.

One of two skydivers who died plummeting into a Northern California vineyard was 18 and jumping for the first time.

The owner of the Northern California skydiving centre where the accident happened said Sunday that the young man had his brother and others there watching when he hit the ground with his instructor.

San Joaquin County sheriff’s officials say they have not yet been able to notify one of the families involved, and are not yet publicly identifying the two dead men.

Lodi Parachute Center owner Bill Dause says the first-time skydiver had been making a tandem jump Saturday with a veteran skydiving instructor. Dause says the instructor had made about 700 other jumps.

Sheriff’s officers say the men’s parachute did not open. Deputies found their bodies in a nearby vineyard.

The skydiving centre’s owner says the weather was perfect at the time of the jump. He believes conditions had nothing to do with the accident.