A 71-year-old student skydiver and her experienced instructor died Sunday after their parachute failed to open properly about 85 miles northeast of Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

The pair jumped in tandem shortly before noon over Mesquite, Nev.

Police said after their main parachute failed to deploy, the instructor -- aged in his 60s with nearly 11,000 jumps to his name -- tried to open a back-up chute, but it was tangled and did not deploy properly.

The instructor died after landing on the tarmac at the Mesquite Municipal Airport, while the woman was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

Authorities were withholding the names of the victims until their families had been notified.

A handful of other tandem teams who jumped with the pair Sunday were able to land safely.

Skydive Mesquite owner Brad Jessey told the Review-Journal his business will remain closed while Federal Aviation Administration officials conduct an investigation.