Learjet 45 crash, Jun 1, 2003 (2 killed), Milan-Linate
Learjet 45 accident on June 1, 2003 near Milan-Linate, Lombardy, Italy with 2 fatalities. Cause: Loss of control after a bird strike during takeoff,...
- Date: June 1, 2003
- Aircraft: Learjet 45
- Location: Milan-Linate, Lombardy, Italy
- Fatalities: 2
- Phase of flight: Takeoff and climb
- Cause: Loss of control after a bird strike during takeoff, with an aerodynamic stall during the return to the airport at too low an altitude to recover. Contributing factors cited by the Italian investigation included failure to follow the engine-failure procedure, weak crew resource management and an inexperienced first officer on line training.
Shortly after takeoff from Milan-Linate, the Learjet 45 struck a flock of pigeons that hit both engines. The crew declared an emergency and turned back toward the airport, but the aircraft stalled at low altitude and crashed onto a factory about 750 metres from the runway threshold. Both pilots were killed and the aircraft was destroyed by impact and fire.