The plane's tail hangs from the Bank of America building in Tampa, Florida. |
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| Occurrence summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | January 5, 2002 |
| Type | Stolen plane crashed into office building |
| Site | Tampa, Florida |
| Passengers | 0 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Cessna 172 |
| Operator | Privately owned |
| Tail number | N2371N |
The 2002 Tampa plane crash was an incident that occurred on Saturday, January 5, 2002. The incident occurred when a high-school student of Eastlake High in Tarpon Springs, Florida, Charles J. Bishop, inspired by the September 11 attacks, stole a Cessna 172 and crashed it into the side of the Bank of America Tower in downtown Tampa, Florida. The impact killed the teenager and damaged an office room. There were no other injuries.
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At 5 p.m. EST, 15-year-old Bishop reportedly stole the small aircraft. As soon as the plane took off, the air traffic controllers alerted the United States Coast Guard and the MacDill Air Force Base. Despite repeated warnings from a helicopter dispatched by the Coast Guard, the small plane continued on until it collided with an office building. The plane crashed between the 23rd and 24th floors of the 42-story building.[1][2]
Bishop was a 15-year-old high-school student from Tarpon Springs, Florida. Before the incident, he was authorized to do a pre-flight check but not to get in an aircraft alone.[1] After the crash, investigators discovered that the teen had a troubled past.[3]
An investigation followed the incident. Officials ruled out terrorism although eye witnesses said that the plane made no apparent attempt to avoid hitting the building. Officials finally suggested that the crash was an apparent suicide. In addition, a note found in the wreckage stated that he voiced support for Osama Bin Laden. However, there is no evidence that the teen had any connection with any terror group. Later authorities confiscated a computer from Bishop's parents' house to figure out what motive was involved in the incident. Moments after the incident, President George W. Bush was briefly informed about the incident and two unrelated crashes that same day.[2]
In April 2002, transcripts obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration revealed new details about the incident, which included how close the small plane came to a Southwest Airlines Flight.[4]
Bishop's mother filed a $70 million dollar (2002 USD) lawsuit against Roche Laboratories, who makes an acne medicine called Accutane. According to the lawsuit claim the medicine had side effects such as depression and suicidal actions, which the claim stated as the cause of the incident.[3] The suit was dropped on June 26, 2007, by Bishop's mother, who stated she was physically and emotionally unable to continue the action.[5]
After the incident took place, numerous security measures were taken. The FAA released a security notice on January 6, the day after the incident. The notice included security of the aircraft and regulations pertaining to underaged flight students. In addition, the EAA and other smaller aircraft organizations proposed more security of flight schools and small aircraft.[6][7]
While authorities stated that the crash was due to an "abuse of trust" rather than a security breach, others argue for the need of increased security due to the simplicity of such actions.[8]
Charles J. Bishop is reported to have been a troubled member of the aviation forum Airliners.net
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