Tandem skydivers killed near Lodi Saturday morning

LODI, Calif. (AP) - Authorities say two skydivers are dead, and the FAA is now investigating the incident, which occurred around 10:30 AM Saturday.

San Joaquin Sheriff's Sgt. Brandon Riley said the bodies were found Saturday in a Lodi-area vineyard in the Central Valley.

The skydivers, both men, had jumped in tandem.

The sheriff's office received a call about 10 a.m. indicating a parachute was down. Riley said they are working to identify the men, who were jumping out of the Parachute Center skydiving school.

The Parachute Center's website says it is "one of the largest and oldest drop zones in the United States," launched in 1964. The website offers an introductory tandem jump with an instructor for $100, from 13,000 feet.

In May, a small plane carrying 17 skydivers took off from the Parachute Center and landed upside-down after clipping a pickup. The worst injuries were minor cuts and scrapes.

In February, the Lodi News-Sentinel reported that a solo skydiver had died after a parachute malfunction at the center. A man answering the phone Saturday at the Parachute Center said he was busy and did not know if two men had died.