- 2002 Pirelli Tower plane crash
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Milan Plane Crash 
Most damaged part of the Pirelli Tower shortly after the crash.Accident summary Date April 18, 2002 Type Collision with building, for reasons undetermined Site Milan, Italy Passengers 0 Crew 1 Injuries 60 Fatalities 3 (1 on plane, 2 in building) Survivors 0 Aircraft type Rockwell Commander A112 Operator Private Tail number HB-NCX On April 18, 2002, a Rockwell Commander 112 crashed into the upper floors of the Pirelli Tower in Milan, Italy, for reasons still unclear. The crash killed the pilot and two others in the building at 17:48 (local time). Sixty more people sustained injuries in the building and on the ground.
The crash aroused fears of another terrorist attack because of the crash similarity to the September 11th attacks, which had occurred months earlier. However, an investigation that took place after the crash ruled out terrorism.
Contents
Incident
The plane, piloted by 65 year old Luigi Fasulo, took off from Magadino Airport in Switzerland eighteen minutes before the crash. Later as the plane flew over Milan, Italy the pilot radioed to the control tower at Linate Airport that there was a problem with the retractable landing gear. The tower was arranging an emergency landing. Suddenly the pilot left, leaving another aircraft saying, "No, they told you to land, not me!". Minutes later, at 17:48 local time, the small plane crashed into the Pirelli Tower. The vibration of the crash caused shop windows to break and littered the surroundings with debris and glass. The pilot and two female lawyers present inside the building were killed.
Between thirty and forty people were taken to the hospital with moderate injuries, while fire fighters contained the fire that resulted from the crash. Immediately after the crash, the nearby Milan central railway station, metro station and the Linate airport were shut down.[1][2]
Investigation
Italian officials conducted an investigation after the crash. The cause of the crash was never exactly determined, but the most plausible reason is an accident or a suicide. The pilot was in fact victim of a scam that brought him close to bankruptcy, so the possibility of a spectacular suicide is plausible.[3]
Aftermath
The crash aroused fears of another terrorist attack since it occurred seven months after the September 11th attacks. Because of this, stock markets around the United States and Europe fell sharply and business trading in Milan was suspended. The fears abated when investigators concluded that the crash was not an act of terrorism.[4][5]
References
- ^ CNN: Three dead as plane hits Milan's tallest building, April 19, 2002
- ^ REUTERS: [rtsp://realserver.kataweb.it/videob/video/news/reuters/reuters_1904_01_250k_pirellone.rm] Air accident at Milan (Video in Italian), October 5, 2007
- ^ Corriere della Sera: [1] Article in italian
- ^ Janine Yagielski: New Yorkers' first reaction: 'Not again', CNN, April 19, 2002. URL Accessed: August 4, 2006
- ^ BBC News: Markets rattled by Milan plane crash, April 18, 2002. URL Accessed: August 4, 2006
See also
- 1945 Empire State Building Crash
- January 5, 2002 Tampa plane crash
- October 11, 2006 New York City plane crash
May 04 EAS Airlines Flight 4226
May 07 China Northern Airlines Flight 6136
May 07 EgyptAir Flight 843
May 25 China Airlines Flight 611
Jun 17 C-130 Hercules airtanker crash
Jul 01 Überlingen mid-air collision
Jul 01 America West Flight 556
Jul 10 Crossair Flight 850Jul 16 Bristow Helicopters Sikorsky crash
Jul 18 P4Y-2 Privateer airtanker crash
Jul 27 Sknyliv airshow disaster
Aug 08 Rico Linhas Aéreas Flight 4823
Aug 16 Khankala Mi-26 crash
Nov 06 Luxair Flight 9642
Nov 28 Arkia Israel Airlines Flight 582Incidents resulting in at least 50 deaths shown in italics. Deadliest incident shown in bold smallcaps.Lists relating to aviation General Aircraft (manufacturers) · Aircraft engines (manufacturers) · Airlines (defunct) · Airports · Civil authorities · Museums · Registration prefixes · Rotorcraft (manufacturers) · TimelineMilitary Accidents/incidents Records Categories:- Aviation accidents and incidents in Italy
- Aviation accidents and incidents in 2002
- 2002 in Italy
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