BS: Milan: Plane crashes in tower

Subject: RE: BS: Milan: Plane crashes in tower
From: SharonA
Date: 19 Apr 02 - 09:25 AM

News reports today are saying 3 dead (the pilot and two who were not on the plane – no word as to whether those two were in the building or outside).

According to this Reuters report, there was not only a mechanical problem with the plane's landing gear but also a misunderstanding between pilot and air traffic controller that resulted in the pilot's flight path into the center of the city: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/milan020419.html

'I've Got a Small Problem'
Terror Attack Ruled Out; Much Confusion Before Crash
By Emilio Parodi

M I L A N, Italy, April 19 — Moments before his small plane rammed into Italy's tallest building, Luigi Fasulo had a perilous misunderstanding with air traffic control, and also spoke of landing gear trouble, officials said today. The transcript of Fasulo's final words before Thursday's crash in which he and two other people died reveals a chilling sequence of events. But it gives no clear answer as to why the 67-year-old pilot flew his four-seater plane into the 30-story Milan landmark.

Authorities ruled out a terror attack after Fasulo's Commander 112 tore a hole in the Pirelli Tower, reviving memories of the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.

Minutes before the crash, Fasulo had started his landing approach to Milan's Linate airport but was not lined up correctly on runway number 36, a spokesman for Italy's civil aviation authority (ENAV) told Reuters.

"Watch out, you're heading towards a cross runway, line yourself up," the air traffic controller told the pilot shortly before 5:42 p.m., according to a transcript of radio communications between the plane and Linate.
Fasulo: "I've got a small problem with the landing gear."

"Roger, circle ATA," the air controller said, referring to the private airstrip at the western edge of Linate just east of the city.

According to ENAV, a helicopter flying in the area then asked permission to land. "Request authority to begin landing procedure," the helicopter pilot said.

"No, go away, go away," the air controller said.

Fasulo then spoke, apparently believing the order to fly away from Linate was for him.

"Understood, I'll execute [the order]," ENAV quoted Fasulo as saying.

"No, no it's not for you, it's for me," the helicopter pilot said.

The air traffic controller advised Fasulo of his mistake and told him he was heading in the wrong direction — north towards the heart of the city.

"OK, I'm fixing a problem with the landing gear," the pilot said in his last recorded words.

The control tower told Fasulo to return to a flight path to land on runway 36, but the plane stuck to its fatal course.

"The control tower called the pilot twice," the ENAV spokesman said, "But there was no response."

There was a moment of radio silence, and at 5:42 p.m. the plane hit the 26th floor of the skyscraper.

Subject: RE: BS: Milan: Plane crashes in tower
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 18 Apr 02 - 07:59 PM

Five dead at this point, and pretty clear it was an accident.

I gather from the news that one reason there weren't more killed seems to have been that the workers in the Pirelli building were pretty well geared for evacuating, since they'd realized it was a potential target.

We live near Stansted Airport. I can't see a jumbo fly overhead without seeing the planes of September 11th again. Waiting for the other shoe to drop. Maybe it never will. But from now on, that's something we all have to live with, permanently.

The strange thing was seeing the news flashing from puctures of the Pirelli building looking like the Towers before they collapsed, and straight on to Jenin, looking for all the world like Ground Zero after the Towers collapsed.

Subject: RE: BS: Milan: Plane crashes in tower
From: SharonA
Date: 18 Apr 02 - 05:33 PM

Clinton: Different tragedy, different thread. See the "BS: Friendly fire?" thread.

Subject: RE: BS: Milan: Plane crashes in tower
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 18 Apr 02 - 05:12 PM

How about a post about the yanks who dropped a bomb on CANADIAN soldiers???

Subject: RE: BS: Milan: Plane crashes in tower
From: Don Firth
Date: 18 Apr 02 - 04:55 PM

The latest speculation I heard was that the pilot may have been trying to hand-crank the landing gear down (an emergency procedure), which involves some fancy cockpit contortions. This would require him to "take his eyes off the road" while he was doing it. It's also speculated that he didn't hit the building straight-on, he came in at an angle, which accounts for the wide, horizontal hole in the building.

Few real facts known at this point, but the media is having a real orgy speculating about what might have happened. A classic example of Firth's formula:-- News Media + Lack of Solid Information = Sufficient Volumes of Gas to Turn Earth into a Jupiter-like Planet.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Milan: Plane crashes in tower
From: Mrrzy
Date: 18 Apr 02 - 03:22 PM

Yikes! I missed this one. Hope it wasn't another copycat suicide like that poor zitty kid...

Subject: RE: BS: Milan: Plane crashes in tower
From: Don Firth
Date: 18 Apr 02 - 01:35 PM

The Pirelli Building in downtown Milan. Partially occupied by the Lombardi regional government, but at that hour (about 6:00 p.m.) the offices should have been empty, but the streets were fairly crowded. The plane hit the 24th and 25th floors of the 30 story building. The plane (no general agreement as to whether it was a Cessna or a Piper or just an unidentified small, single engine, low-wing aircraft) had been circling the area, and some witnesses said that they thought they saw flames. The pilot radioed an SOS, said he was having engine trouble and was having trouble getting his landing gear down. Presumably he planned to land at a small commercial airfield about seven miles away. Nobody seems to know what happened or why the plane piled into the building.

The Italian government immediately responded that it was a terrorist attack, then backpedaled quickly and are saying that it was probably an accident.

Three known dead, several injuries.

Channel-surfing between CNN and MSNBC.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Milan: Plane crashes in tower
From: catspaw49
Date: 18 Apr 02 - 01:19 PM

At the moment it just seems to be an unfortunate accident reminiscent of the picture of the old biplane crashed in the only tree in a wide open field. I would hope that is the situation and nothing more.....and hope too that there are few casualties.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Milan: Plane crashes in tower
From: Wolfgang
Date: 18 Apr 02 - 01:17 PM

Yes, the news now sound like it was a minor accident and that's fine though it is still sad for those involved. Sorry for the wrong alarm.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: Milan: Plane crashes in tower
From: Don Firth
Date: 18 Apr 02 - 01:05 PM

Just heard it on the radio a moment ago. Apparently it was a small, private plane, the pilot was alone, and he had radioed the tower and said he was having engine trouble.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Milan: Plane crashes in tower
From: KingBrilliant
Date: 18 Apr 02 - 12:44 PM

Has some horrible resonances doesn't it?
I hope there weren't too many people hurt.

Subject: Milan: Plane crashes in tower
From: Wolfgang
Date: 18 Apr 02 - 12:40 PM

On a smaller scale (30 stories) we can now see the sadly familiar pictures from Milan, Italy. It could be an accident.

Wolfgang