One person has died following a mid-air collision between two small vintage planes in Lancaster, California, on Sunday afternoon. According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the incident occurred around 1 p.m. in the skies above 50th Street East and E Avenue E.
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The Federal Aviation Administration, per CBS News, stated that the crash involved a Nanchang CJ-6 and a Yakovlev Yak-52, both of which are single-engine aircraft.
Rescue crews responded to two locations where planes had landed, approximately two and a half miles apart. One pilot crashed near 60th Street East and Avenue G but emerged uninjured. Tragically, the other pilot lost his life in a crash near 47th Street East and East Avenue F, according to authorities.
According to a statement from the FAA, only the pilots were onboard the aircraft. The FAA is currently investigating the incident in collaboration with the National Transportation Safety Board.
On Monday, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner revealed that the pilot was identified as 62-year-old Ryder Adams.
An Eyewitness Recounts the Vintage Plane Crash
Stephan Wilson was seated approximately 50 yards from the site where the pilot crashed. He recounted hearing a troubling pop in the sky just before he saw the small plane spiraling downward, ultimately landing in a cloud of dust.
“I took off to see if he was alright or if he’d be alright,” Wilson told CBS News. He remarked that the only action he could take was to call 911.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation. It remains uncertain whether the two planes were flying in tandem.
Meanwhile, the Red Star Pilots Association is mourning the tragic death of Ryder Adams.
“It is truly a tragic day for the RPA family,” the Red Star Pilots Association wrote on Facebook Monday.
“I am so sorry to inform you of the passing of our new leader and my close friend, Ryder ‘Hammer’ Adams,” the post continued. “Ryder’s Nanchang was involved in a fatal midair collision with a fellow RPA pilot’s plane while returning from a training event in Northern CA.
“The full circumstances of the accident are not known to us at this time. Thankfully the pilot of the other aircraft survived an off-field landing,” they added. “Please keep Ryder’s wife, Chris, in your thoughts.”