Posted on 10/08/2001 3:00:09 AM PDT by Beep
More than 100 people have died in an accident at Milan's Linate airport, according to official sources.
The crash involved a Scandinavian airline SAS aircraft and a private German Cessna.
There were 48 Italian passengers, 56 of other nationalities and six crew on board the Copenhagen-bound flight.
The airliner was taxiing for take-off when it swerved to avoid the light aircraft and crashed into a busy airport building in foggy conditions, initial reports suggest.
It is understood four passengers in the German Cessna died in the accident at the airport on the edge of Italy's financial capital.
Police said the SAS plane tried to avoid the Cessna and rammed into a baggage handling zone which then caught fire.
The Denmark-bound flight had been due to take off at 7.35am local time, the crash happened at 8.15am. Other flights were delayed after the incident.
Last Modified: 10:36 UK, Monday October 08, 2001
Doesn't sound like a suicide attack, if there were four in the Cessna.
jk - please don't flame me!
(Filed: 08/10/2001)
MORE than 100 people are feared dead in a collision at Milan airport when an SAS plane preparing for take-off hit a smaller craft and crashed into a building this morning.
SAS flight SK 686 made a sudden manoeuvre to avoid a small plane Officials said that rescue workers were still recovering bodies at the scene, but gave no further details.
All 104 passengers on the SAS jet were believed to have been killed, as well as the four people aboard the small Cessna plane it was reported to have hit at Linate airport. The Cessna belonged to a German firm.
The airport management company, SEA, said that between 20 and 25 people would normally have been working in the maintenance building destroyed by the crash.
According to initial reports, SAS flight SK 686 was preparing to take off for Copenhagen when it made a sudden manoeuvre to avoid a small plane.
However, the SAS plane, a Boeing MD-87, hit the smaller plane before ploughing into an airport building and bursting into flames, reports said.
Having flown a few Cessnas myself, I can tell you it is difficult finding your way around a large airport when it's sunny outside, let alone foggy.
If it's an unfamiliar airport, and you don't have a good taxiway map in front of you, you are in deep kimchee. In that case the disoriented pilot should request "progressive taxi" instructions, and let the ground controller tell him which way to go. Of course that is impossible when the tower controller can't see the aircraft.
US airports have upgraded their "traffic signs" - especially at a runway intersection - to help prevent this sort of thing, and lighted them internally. I wonder if the Italians have done the same.
Of course, it's entirely possible that the Italian ground controller cleared the Cessna to cross the active runway, while the other controller cleared the airliner for takeoff. Happens all the time. They're on different frequencies.
I recall reading about the rescue of general Dozier, the American army general that was kidnapped. The Italians did a good job rescuing him.
And didn't we all jump (rightly so) on Falwell and Robertson for suggesting that 9/11 was "God's punishment" for America's evil?
I just think these sorts of sentiments are pointless.
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