2002 Pirelli Tower airplane crash
Impact zone in the Pirelli Tower | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 18 April 2002 |
| Summary | Collision with building |
| Site | |
| Total fatalities | 3 |
| Total injuries | 60-70 |
| Aircraft | |
| A Rockwell Commander 112, similar to the aircraft involved | |
| Aircraft type | Rockwell Commander 112TC |
| Operator | Private |
| Registration | HB-NCX |
| Flight origin | Locarno Airport, Magadino, Switzerland |
| Destination | Milan Linate Airport, Milan, Italy |
| Occupants | 1 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Ground casualties | |
| Ground fatalities | 2 |
| Ground injuries | 60-70 |
On 18 April 2002, a privately operated single-engine Rockwell Commander 112TC flying from Locarno Airport, Switzerland, to Milan Linate Airport, Italy, crashed into the upper floors of the Pirelli Tower in Milan, Italy. The pilot – the aircraft's sole occupant – and two building employees were killed, and 60-70 others were injured.
Although initial suspicions pointed to a terrorist attack, owing to the crash occurring a few months after the September 11 attacks, investigators stated that the crash was likely an accident. Despite ensuing suspicions that the pilot had intentionally flown the aircraft into the tower, the theory was ruled out. A subsequent investigation by the ANSV found that the pilot was likely unable to "adequately manage the final phase of the flight in the presence of technical, operational, and environmental issues."