Incident
On 1 June 2003, at 13:23 UTC, a Bombardier Learjet 45, registration I-ERJC, departed from runway 36R at Milan Linate Airport on a flight to Genoa Sestri, with a subsequent stop planned in Amsterdam. During the takeoff roll, the aircraft collided with birds. Shortly after becoming airborne, the crew radioed the control tower, declaring their intention to return immediately to Linate and describing the nature of the problem. The aircraft proceeded to a downwind leg east of the airport. At 13:25 UTC, the Learjet crashed into an industrial building south of the airport and caught fire. The two pilots, the sole occupants, died on impact.
Aircraft and Crew
The aircraft was a Learjet 45, serial number not specified in the report. No information on the crew’s qualifications or experience is available from the source material.
Investigation
The Italian National Agency for Flight Safety (ANSV) dispatched an investigation team, which arrived at the crash site at 19:30 UTC on the same day. The aircraft was destroyed by the impact and subsequent fire. Wreckage examination revealed evidence consistent with a bird strike, including pigeon carcasses found at the scene. No technical anomalies with the engines were identified as causal factors in the report’s analysis, though the source does not provide a formal probable cause.
Aftermath
The accident occurred in the municipality of Peschiera Borromeo, near Milan Linate. No other injuries or additional damage beyond the aircraft and the industrial building were reported.