A pilot was killed Sunday during a mid-air collision between two small planes near Lancaster, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
The collision occurred around 1:20 p.m. when a Yakovlev Yak 52 aircraft collided with a Nanchang CJ-6A aircraft mid-air, authorities said. The pilot of the Nanchang CJ-6A died, according to federal crash investigators.
The two pilots were on a joint cross-country trip when they crashed, authorities said Monday, adding that a flight data recorder was recovered from one of the aircraft.
One of the planes crash-landed near the intersection of E. Avenue G and 60th Street East. The second plane landed about 15 minutes away, near the intersection of W. Avenue F and 55th Street West.
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It is unclear what caused the planes to crash.
The person who died in the collision has not been identified. Authorities did not comment on the status of the other pilot involved in the collision, but said the pilot will be interviewed by investigators.
Tammy Peterson and her granddaughter were sitting in their parked car in Lancaster Sunday afternoon when they saw a small single-engine plane plummet to the ground and land just yards in front of them.
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“All of a sudden we heard this poof and I looked over there cause I thought it was a motorcycle racing in the dirt and I saw and said 'OMG it’s an airplane!'" said Peterson.
In a statement to NBC4, the National Transportation Safety Board wrote:
NTSB is investigating the midair collision of a Yakovlev Yak 52 and Nanchang CJ-6A near Lancaster, California.
An NTSB investigator is en route to the scene and is expected to arrive tomorrow. Once on site, the investigator will begin the process of documenting the scene and examining the aircraft. The aircraft will then be recovered to a secure facility for further evaluation.
NTSB investigations involve three primary areas: the pilot, the aircraft and the operating environment.
