With over 275 successful jumps under her belt and a need for speed, Ann Wick geared up and took to the air for her fifth or sixth skydive on Friday afternoon. The Stillwater nurse had spent the day with four other women practicing a special formation dive about an hour outside of Phoenix.

That last jump cost Wick her life.

According to police, Wick experienced complications while descending as she participated in a women’s skydiving event with friends in Eloy, Ariz., on Jan. 24. The 55-year-old Minnesota native was pronounced dead at the scene.

Skydiving, a hobby that began in her early 50s while pursuing a nursing degree, became a passion she participated in as often as she could, Wick’s close friend, Kelly Perro said.

“She loved how it made her feel free. ... There was nothing better than just free-falling,” Perro said.

The specific cause of Wick’s death is under investigation, Eloy police said, noting equipment, procedures and other factors are being reviewed. The event was hosted by Skydive Arizona, which says it’s the largest skydiving center in the world.

“Eyewitness accounts indicate that the free fall phase of the skydive appeared normal, with the parachute deploying as expected,” the facility said Thursday in a statement. “Despite the parachute fully deploying as designed, observers noted the canopy was turning. No corrective actions appeared to be taken by the jumper, nor was the reserve parachute deployed.”

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) investigates the packing of parachutes and the pilot and aircraft’s flight rules, according to a statement. However, the FAA does not determine the cause of an accident. If the agency does not find evidence of a regulatory violation, it will defer further investigation to local law enforcement.

The Eloy police said Thursday the parachute and other equipment have been turned over to the FAA.

Wick’s love for the outdoors and thrill began at a young age while on a family ski trip to the Dolomite Alps in Italy.

After a short beginner’s lesson and a few practice runs, 12-year-old Wick was hooked. What started as a routine family ski trip, a common occurrence for her family, turned into a stepping stone to other thrilling sports, her brother Jeff Wallis said.

Although Wick was always an adventurer, her risk tolerance increased over the years due to multiple near-death experiences.

Despite this, Wick went on to have two healthy children, Charlie, now 23, and Rosalie, 22. Wallis said Wick embraced motherhood with open arms and adored her children.

Two decades later, Wick was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer and underwent multiple surgeries and chemotherapy treatment, Wallis said. Yet even as her family prepared for the worst, she made a full recovery.

“I think when you have a near-death experience like that and, in her case, a couple of them, maybe her risk tolerance is slightly different,” Wallis said. “She was always more apt to go on the edge of what she could do, you know, test herself and see what she was capable of.”

When she wasn’t chasing adrenaline rushes, Wick could be found in the halls of United Hospital where she worked as a nurse, a job she was passionate about. Wick said it was her calling to help others, according to Wallis.

“All nurses are just angels, you know,” Perro said. “And everyone that she touched, she just put them before herself.”

Wallis was in the process of framing for his sister a vintage poster of the ski area where their family first traveled when he received the news of the accident.

The poster will now be given to Wick’s daughter, Rosalie.