Pilot killed in midair collision of two small planes in Southern California

LANCASTER, Calif. (AP) — One pilot was killed and another pilot escaped without injuries when two single-engine airplanes collided in midair on Sunday in Southern California, authorities said.

The collision between a Nanchang CJ-6 and a Yakovlev Yak-52 occurred around 1 p.m. in Lancaster, a desert city about 65 miles (104 km) north of downtown Los Angeles, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

One person on one of the small planes died, the LA County Fire Department said. Only the pilots were on board both aircraft, the FAA said.

It wasn’t immediately clear which plane was carrying the victim who died.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.