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Man dies in a mid-air plane collision

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TEHACHAPI - A man died Friday in a mid-air collision near a state prison in Tehachapi, authorities said.

Two small aircraft, a Cessna 180 and a twin-engine Beechcraft, clipped each other southeast of Bakersfield, said Jerry Menendez, spokesman for the Kern County Fire Department.

The pilot of the Cessna, whose name has not been released, died in the crash.

The pilot of the Beechcraft made a successful crash landing on an airstrip and suffered only minor injuries.

"That plane had extensive damage to the cockpit area and the pilot was suffering from cuts to his face and cuts to his hands," said Kern County Sheriff's Sgt. Chevy Garza.

At the request of the Federal Aviation Administration, the crash site was cordoned off until FAA investigators arrived Saturday to investigate, Garza said.

No passengers were in either aircraft.

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