- Date
- August 4, 1987, 12:19 local (19:19 UTC)
- Place
- Palmdale, CA
- Injuries
- 11 uninjured
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 7, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA reports
- 19870804045101A19870804045102A
- Case key
- 25414
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
A Dehavilland DHC-6, N931MA, operating as transworld express flt 7591 (twe 7591) & a Cessna 172N, N737EV, collided abt 10 miles west/southwest of Palmdale, CA at abt 5500 ft MSL. Twe 7591 was descending on a 355 deg mag heading; N737EV was level and was maintaining a 060 deg mag heading. The capt aboard twe 7591 was flying the airplane & the first officer obsvd N737EV just prior to impact and took the controls and executed an abrupt right turn; the capt then continued the descending right turn but to no avail - the airplane's left wing collided with N737EV. The plt of N737EV reported that he did not see twe 7591 until the collision. The convergence angle of 7591 was 53 deg and 62 deg for 737EV. Both airplanes landed safely - twe 7591 landed at william j. fox arpt, lancaster, CA. & N737EV landed at Palmdale arpt.
Aircraft · 2
- Registration
- N931MA
- Reported as
- de Havilland DHC-6
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 169
- Airframe hours
- 30,907
- Engine
- P&W PT-6-20, 550 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Resort Commuter Inc., doing business as Trans World Express
- Registered owner
- Jim Slemons Import Inc,
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · July 29, 1987 · 31 hours before
- Departed
- LAX · Los Angeles, CA
- Destination
- WJF · Lancaster, CA
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- PMD · Palmdale, runway 6, 5,001 × 150 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
- Registration
- N737EV
- Reported as
- Cessna 172N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17269369
- Airframe hours
- 889
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-H2AD, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Venco Pacific Aviation
- Registered owner
- Trefethen, M. W. & Gray, P. T.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 3, 1987 · 18 hours before
- Departed
- OXR · Oxnard, CA
- Destination
- LAS · Las Vegas, NV
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- PMD · Palmdale, runway 7, 12,002 × 150 ft, concrete
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N931MA
- Age
- 41
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 7,000 total · 375 in this make and model · 6,738 as pilot in command · 176 in the last 90 days · 42 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N737EV
- Age
- 31
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,725 total · 67 in this make and model · 709 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- WJF, 9 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 2
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.