Two Italians die in plane crash

Two Italian men were killed early yesterday morning when their small plane flying from Malta to Milan crashed near Piacenza.

The Italian National Air Security Agency has opened a technical inquiry to establish why the Piper PA-31T came down.

The aircraft left Malta International Airport for Milan's Linate airport just after midnight but crashed at around 3.30 a.m. when the plane was close to its destination.

The victims are Roberto Manzaroli 60, a seasoned pilot from Milan, and president of the Bresso Aeroclub, and Luigi Rotti, a 35-year-old financial promoter from Bergamo. Mr Rotti, who is the father of a two-month old daughter, was attending university in Malta and used to return home to work, his mother Elsa Bramati told one Italian news website. The aircraft and crew landed in Malta on Saturday afternoon. They have flown regularly to Malta for the past few months, according to an MIA spokesman.

The airport was not in a position to say what kind of checks were carried out prior to departure, since this is always at the discretion of the pilot in such cases.

The incident took place in an area of the Appenines, at an altitude of some 800 metres, at Centena di Ferriere, a province of Piacenza.

Built in 1979, the small aircraft, which belongs to the company Air Loop, crashed a few metres away from a street and about a hundred metres from a residence. Parts of the aircraft disintegrated on the way down.

Eyewitnesses told Rai News they saw a ball of fire crash to the ground as firefighters and the police rushed to the scene.

The general weather conditions throughout the route were good and no mayday message was given, leaving investigators baffled. An autopsy is planned for tomorrow.

The incident was the second in the Piacenza area in the space of three months after an Algerian cargo aircraft crashed on August 13, killing the three people on board.

It is also the second Malta-related plane crash in less than two months. A Swedish aerobatics champion was killed on September 10 when two stunt planes taking part in the Aero Grand Prix of Malta collided and crashed into the sea at the entrance of Marsamxett harbour.

And in December 1995, five Maltese people died when a Piper Lance aircraft carrying them on a flight from Tunis crashed in the Mediterranean.

Aircraft enthusiast Roberto Benetti told The Times that the Piper PA-31T Cheyenne twin-turboprop aircraft is based on the popular Navajo and Chieftain piston twins, and can be configured to seat six, including pilot, or optionally eight.

It has been adapted to a number of commuter, charter, air taxi, light freight and executive/corporate transport roles, and has spawned a series of developments. It is capable of over six hours of endurance when operated at the maximum range power setting and was designed for long range and high altitude flight.