Author Topic: Breaking News: Plane hits skyscraper in Milan (italy) (Read 401 times)

Gh0stFT · « **on:** April 18, 2002, 11:30:22 AM »

A small plane has hit a skyscraper in central Milan, Italy, setting the top floors of the 30-story building on fire, an Italian journalist told CNN.

AKDejaVu · « **Reply #1 on:** April 18, 2002, 11:34:43 AM »

I sincerely hope this was not intentional.

AKDejaVu

babek- · « **Reply #2 on:** April 18, 2002, 11:35:29 AM »

German TV reports that it was a small Piper plane.

The pilot had sent a SOS to the tower and reported that he lost control of his plane.

So there is hope that it was not a suicide attack.

Saintaw · « **Reply #3 on:** April 18, 2002, 11:36:47 AM »

The Pirelli building, fortunately it seems a lot of poeple were not working because they were busy rebuilding that floor-area (dixit Rai-1 right now)

CyranoAH · « **Reply #4 on:** April 18, 2002, 12:30:38 PM »

Latest information is that it could be a Piper or an Air Commander from Locarno, Switzerland.

The pilot supposedly declared emergency on both active and 121.5 freqs regarding severe mechanical problems (undetermined).

My guess is that he tried to get to the airport but lost an engine on approach over Milan... sucks

Daniel

Voss · « **Reply #5 on:** April 18, 2002, 01:01:02 PM »

I've heard nothing but rumors, so far. Alledgedly this was a tourist aircraft (from one report) and purely accidental. Witnesses did report the plane was on fire before impact.

Masherbrum · « **Reply #6 on:** April 18, 2002, 01:14:01 PM »

God if this wasn't intentional and he really did have trouble with this plane. Striking the building aside, at least he tried to make to the airport. You almost made bud.

Jay

Ozark · « **Reply #7 on:** April 18, 2002, 01:25:50 PM »

Just watched a report that the pilot was a 65-year Old Italian pilot. He as apparently a well-known aviator in Italian aviation community. My first thoughts were (I’m speculating now) that of Eastern Airlines Flight 401 that crashed in the Florida Everglades. A pilot gets too focused on the problem at hand and forgets to fly the airplane.

Gh0stFT · « **Reply #8 on:** April 18, 2002, 01:34:44 PM »

the latest news i got is, the pilot was on a emergy landing on
one of the Milan airports, then he got a NO from the tower
and he turned away. Later the crash.
Remember the crash last year at the Milan Airport ?
Human error, and who knows what happened today between
the tower and the plane.

CyranoAH · « **Reply #9 on:** April 18, 2002, 02:25:27 PM »

Here's the last on the incident I heard.

One of the most probable hypothesis is that, since the engine was on fire, smoke got in the cabin and the pilot passed away, letting the plane fly level and crashing into the building.

Daniel

Dinger · « **Reply #10 on:** April 18, 2002, 08:06:18 PM »

Ouch. Man, when you got an emergency, declare an emergency. That really is depressing.

Ripsnort · « **Reply #11 on:** April 19, 2002, 08:00:14 AM »

This morning they're saying it was suicide, the guy was in debt up to his ass..blah blah..

Voss · « **Reply #12 on:** April 19, 2002, 10:53:03 AM »

Dead reckoning to blame?

A pilot that had flown with this man previously, has said his habit of flying by landmark (dead reckoning) and setting the auto-pilot, may be to blame for the impact. After clearing the mountains, this pilot had a habit of pointing it at the highest building (something he could see from quite a distance) and setting the auto-pilot.The speculation is ,as above, that he either had a heart attack from the stress involved, or was overcome by smoke in the cabin. The auto-pilot did its job.