Incident Overview
A midair collision occurred approximately 10 miles west/southwest of Palmdale, California, at an altitude of about 5,500 ft MSL. The involved aircraft were a De Havilland DHC-6, registration N931MA, operating as Transworld Express Flight 7591 (TWE 7591), and a Cessna 172N, registration N737EV. Both airplanes subsequently landed without further incident.
Flight Paths
At the time of the collision, TWE 7591 was descending and maintaining a magnetic heading of 355 degrees. The Cessna 172N was in level flight, holding a magnetic heading of 060 degrees. The convergence angle for TWE 7591 was 53 degrees, while for N737EV it was 62 degrees.
Actions of Crews
Aboard TWE 7591, the captain was piloting the aircraft. The first officer observed N737EV just prior to impact, took control of the airplane, and executed an abrupt right turn. The captain then continued the descending right turn but could not avoid the collision; the left wing of the DHC-6 struck the Cessna. The pilot of N737EV reported not seeing TWE 7591 until the moment of collision.
Outcome
Following the collision, TWE 7591 landed at William J. Fox Airport in Lancaster, California. N737EV landed at Palmdale Airport. Both aircraft landed safely, and no injuries or fatalities were reported in the source.