Romanian billionaire and family killed in Italy plane crash
- Dan Petrescu was one of Romania’s richest men. The crash killed Petrescu, his wife, their son and five others
- Witnesses reported that the plane was already in flames before it crashed into an empty office building near Milan
A light aircraft piloted by Romanian billionaire Dan Petrescu crashed into an empty office building near Milan on Sunday, killing him, his wife and their son, and all five others aboard, Italian media reported.
The single-engine Pilatus PC-12 had taken off from Milan’s Linate airport shortly after 1pm local time headed for Olbia in the north of the Italian island of Sardinia.
It crashed just a few minutes later in San Donato Milanese, a town southeast of Milan, according to aviation agency ANSV, which has opened an investigation.
Witnesses said the plane was already in flames before it crashed into an office building undergoing renovations.
A thick column of dark smoke rose from the crash site and was visible for kilometres. Several parked cars nearby went up in flames.
Milan Prosecutor Tiziana Siciliano told reporters at the scene that the plane was proceeding on its flight until “a certain point, then an anomaly appeared on the radar screen and it plunged,” striking the building’s roof.