Ltv Aerospace Industries A7E and Rolladen-Schneider LS-4 mid-air collision near Warner Springs, California, April 20, 1986
On April 20, 1986 at about 10:43 pm local time, 2 aircraft, Ltv Aerospace Industries A7E (USN) and Rolladen-Schneider LS-4 (N50EH), were involved in a mid-air collision near Warner Springs, California (Warner Springs airport). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 20, 1986 · about 10:43 pm local time
- Place
- Warner Springs, California · Warner Springs · map
- Type
- Accident · mid-air collision
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft 1
- Ltv Aerospace Industries A7E
- Registration
- USN · no longer on the register · serial 160858
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
- Aircraft 2
- Rolladen-Schneider LS-4 · all LS-4s on the register
- Registration
- N50EH · registry record · serial 4134
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative for the Ltv Aerospace Industries A7E final · quoted from the NTSB record
A ROLLADEN-SCHNEIDER LS-4 GLIDER AND AN LTV A7E JET COLLIDED OVER HOT SPRINGS MTN, NEAR WARNER SPRINGS, CA. THE A7E WAS ATTEMPTING A RAPID PULL UP AND THE GLIDER WAS ATTEMPTING A NOSE DOWN, 30 DEG RIGHT TURN WHEN THEY COLLIDED. BOTH AIRCRAFT WERE OPERATING UNDER VISUAL FLT RULES AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. NEITHER PILOT WAS INJURED. THE GLIDER LEFT WING OUTBD 3 FT SECTION WAS SEVERED. THE A7E NOSE COWLING WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED AND THE ENGINE INGESTED EXTENSIVE FIBERGLASS MATERIAL. THE COLLISION OCCURRED AS THE A7E WAS EXECUTING A SOUTHBOUND TURN ON VR 1257 AND WAS WITHIN THE ROUTE WIDTH (4 NM); THE GLIDER WAS ATTEMPTING TO GAIN LIFT ON THE WEST SIDE OF HOT SPRINGS MTN AND WAS WITHIN VR 1257 ROUTE STRUCTURE. THE A7E PLT HAD INFORMED THE NECESSARY FLT SERV STATIONS THAT THE ROUTE WAS ACTIVE; THE GLIDER PLT HAD NOT CONTACTED THE FLT SERV STATIONS TO DETERMINE IF THE ROUTE WAS ACTIVE.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The NTSB's narrative for the Rolladen-Schneider LS-4 final · quoted from the NTSB record
A ROLLADEN-SCHNEIDER LS-4 GLIDER AND AN LTV A7E JET COLLIDED OVER HOT SPRINGS MTN, NEAR WARNER SPRINGS, CA. THE A7E WAS ATTEMPTING A RAPID PULL UP AND THE GLIDER WAS ATTEMPTING A NOSE DOWN, 30 DEG RIGHT TURN WHEN THEY COLLIDED. BOTH AIRCRAFT WERE OPERATING UNDER VISUAL FLT RULES AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. NEITHER PILOT WAS INJURED. THE GLIDER LEFT WING OUTBD 3 FT SECTION WAS SEVERED. THE A7E NOSE COWLING WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED AND THE ENGINE INGESTED EXTENSIVE FIBERGLASS MATERIAL. THE COLLISION OCCURRED AS THE A7E WAS EXECUTING A SOUTHBOUND TURN ON VR 1257 AND WAS WITHIN THE ROUTE WIDTH (4NM); THE GLIDER WAS ATTEMPTING TO GAIN LIFT ON THE WEST SIDE OF HOT SPRINGS MTN AND WAS WITHIN VR 1257 ROUTE STRUCTURE. THE A7E PLT HAD INFORMED THE NECESSARY FLT SERV STATIONS THAT THE ROUTE WAS ACTIVE; THE GLIDER PLT HAD NOT CONTACTED THE FLT SERV STATIONS TO DETERMINE IF THE ROUTE WAS ACTIVE.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record for the Ltv Aerospace Industries A7E from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,171 hours in all; 859 in this make and model; 107 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 1,115 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,164 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, December 8, 1985; 96 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 34,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison TF-41A-402D (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NKX San Diego CA at 8:27 pm
- Destination: Lemore CA
- Flight plan: VFR then IFR
- Runway 24, 12,000 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from NKX, 42 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
The factual record for the Rolladen-Schneider LS-4 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 755 hours in all; 637 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 707 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 781 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 22, 1986; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HMT Hemet CA at 9:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 5,000 ft by 90 ft
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under USN the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX86MA186.