Incident Overview
A student pilot, acting alone, conducted an unauthorized flight that ended with the airplane striking a tall office building in Tampa, Florida. The pilot had been instructed by a flight instructor to preflight the airplane and wait for the instructor before beginning the training flight. According to witnesses, the student pilot proceeded to the airplane, removed the wing tie-downs, boarded, started the engine, and immediately taxied to runway 35R without the instructor. He then took off without communicating with the airport Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower.
Flight Path and Interception
After takeoff, the airplane turned to the right and headed toward the southeast. No transponder signal was received from the airplane. Tower controllers notified Tampa ATC approach controllers and also alerted the pilots of a Coast Guard helicopter operating in the local area. Multiple attempts to contact the pilot on emergency radio frequency were unsuccessful. The Coast Guard helicopter pilots were asked to intercept the airplane.
The airplane proceeded to a local Air Force military base, where it overflew the base control tower, two aircraft, and three hangars at a low altitude. It then altered its heading toward a tall office building in the city of Tampa. En route, the Coast Guard helicopter pilots intercepted the airplane and attempted to signal the pilot to land. According to the helicopter pilots, the student pilot saw their hand gestures and gestured back, but the meaning of his gestures could not be determined.
Impact and Investigation
Shortly after the interception attempt, the airplane impacted the office building at the 28th-floor level. An examination of the airframe, systems, and engine revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction. Toxicology tests on specimens taken from the student pilot showed no indications of ethanol or drugs. A 2-page suicide note was found on the student pilot’s person.