By Frank Kamuntu
A pilot died after two single-engine planes collided midair on Sunday in Southern California, officials said.
The planes, a single-engine Nanchang CJ-6 and a single-engine Yakovlev Yak-52, collided near Lancaster, in northern Los Angeles County, around 1 p.m. PT on Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Only the two pilots were on board the aircrafts at the time. The Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to a report of downed planes and one of the pilots was pronounced dead on arrival, meanwhile the other reported no injuries, the department said on X.
One plane had landed near the intersection 47th Street East and Ave F and the other near 60th Street East and Ave G in Lancaster.
Both planes were models used in aerobatics and for hobby flights. The Yak-52 plane is a Soviet-era from 1930 that is owned by Fight’s On! LLC out of San Marcos, according to FAA records based on the tail number. The Nanchang CJ-6 is a Chinese military aircraft from the 1960s used for basic training.
Neither pilot has been identified.
It’s not clear what caused the collision. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.
