April 18, 2002 Pirelli Tower plane crash

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**Milan Plane Crash**
Summary
The Pirelli Tower after the collision.
Date	April 18, 2002
Type	Plane collided with skyscraper
Site	Milan, Italy
Fatalities	3 (1 on plane, 2 in building)
Injuries	60
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Rockwell Commander A112
Operator	Private
Tail number	HB-NCX
Passengers	0
Crew	1
Survivors	0

On April 18, 2002, a Rockwell Commander A112 crashed into the upper floors of the Pirelli Tower in Milan, Italy, for reasons still unclear. The crash killed the pilot and four 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. However, an investigation that took place after the crash ruled out terrorism.

1 Event
2 Investigation
3 Aftermath
4 See also
5 References

[edit] Event

The plane 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 he was running out of fuel. 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. Two lawyers were at the entrance of the building and were killed by falling debris.

30–40 people were taken to the hospital with moderate injuries, while fire fighters contained the fire that resulted from the crash. Immediately after the crash, a nearby train station and airport were shut down.^[1]

[edit] Investigation

Italian officials conducted an investigation after the crash. The cause of the crash was never determined, but the pilot was in trouble with the police, and there was a good possibility that he was committing suicide.

[edit] 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 the act of terrorism. ^[2] ^[3]