What happened
On the afternoon of the accident, a single-engine aircraft departed from runway 36 at Milan-Linate Airport, heading toward Olbia. The flight was carrying eight people, consisting of one pilot and seven passengers. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot activated the autopilot and LNAV modes; however, these systems disengaged approximately one minute and forty seconds into the flight.
Following the departure, the aircraft failed to follow the prescribed Standard Instrument Departure heading of 130. Instead, the plane continued a westward turn. Despite receiving instructions from the Milano Area Control Center to execute a left turn to heading 120, the aircraft performed a right turn instead. After the altitude was stabilized, the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent at 5,300 feet.
The aircraft struck an industrial building that was under construction, located roughly 1.8 km southwest of the runway 36 threshold. The impact was vertical, causing the plane to disintegrate. The crash resulted in 8 fatalities and no injuries to persons on the ground. The collision also caused significant damage to the building and several nearby vehicles.
Findings
- The aircraft failed to adhere to the assigned Standard Instrument Departure heading.
- The pilot failed to follow air traffic control instructions regarding a corrective left turn.