\
HORROR footage shows the aftermath of a deadly plane crash with twisted wreckage strewn across the ground just yards from homes.
Firefighters were scrambled to the scene of the downed planes on Sunday afternoon.
4
4
4
The midair crash left one dead after two small-engine planes collided close to Lancaster, California.
Authorities are still investigating what caused the crash after one of the two plane’s pilots was pronounced dead at the scene.
The other pilot was uninjured.
There were no passengers on either plane, according to Los Angeles County Fire Captain Sheila Kelliher-Berkoh.
Neither pilot has been identified.
Chilling pictures show wreckage from one of the planes scattered across the road just yards from houses.
Fire crews arrived at the scene of the first downed plane near 47th Street East and Avenue F at about 1:20 pm on Sunday.
The second aircraft was found around 15 minutes away close to 60th Street East and Avenue G.
A witness who saw the shocking crash said they were sitting in a parked car when they saw a plane plummet to earth in front of them.
“All of a sudden, we heard this ‘poof’ and I looked over there because I thought it was a motorcycle racing in the dirt and I saw and said ‘OMG it’s an airplane!” Tammy Petersen, who was in the car with her granddaughter at the time, told NBC affiliate NBC4.
Stephan Wilson was sitting just 50 yards from where the deceased pilot was found.
He said he heard a horrifying loud pop in the sky before the plane spiraled down and crashed in a cloud of dust.
“I took off to see if he was alright or if he’d be alright,” he told CBS News, adding that there was nothing he could do when he got there except call 911.
NTSB statement on Lancaster crash
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.
In a statement, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it “is investigating the midair collision of a Yakovlev Yak-52 and Nanchang CJ-6A near Lancaster.”
The Yak-52 is a Soviet-era single-engine craft from the 1970s while the CJ-6A was originally built in the 1960s for the Chinese military.
Both are known to be used in aerobatics shows.
The NTSB is due to be at the scene on Monday to document the scene and examine the aircraft.
In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said: “A single-engine Nanchang CJ-6 and single-engine Yakovlev Yak-52 collided in mid-air near Lancaster, California, around 1pm local time on Sunday, Sept. 22.
“Only the pilots were on board both aircraft.
“The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide further updates.”
Lancaster is around 44 miles north of Los Angeles.
4
