Linate Airport disaster
A map of Linate Airport, showing the paths of the two aircraft. The blue line marks the path of the MD-87. The green line marks the path the Cessna was supposed to take, while the red line shows the Cessna's actual movement.
|
|
| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 8 October 2001 |
| Summary | Runway incursion, poor visibility due to heavy fog |
| Site |
Linate Airport Milan, Italy |
| Total fatalities | 118 (all from both aircraft including 4 on the ground) |
| Total injuries (non-fatal) | 4 (all on ground) |
| First aircraft | |
 SE-DMA Lage Viking, the McDonnell Douglas MD-87 involved, in 2000 |
|
| Type | McDonnell-Douglas MD-87 |
| Name | Lage Viking |
| Operator | Scandinavian Airlines System |
| Registration | SE-DMA |
| Flight origin |
Linate Airport Milan, Italy |
| Destination |
Copenhagen Airport Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Passengers | 104 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 110 (all) |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Second aircraft | |
 A Cessna Citation CJ2 |
|
| Type | Cessna Citation CJ2 |
| Operator | Air Evex |
| Registration | D-IEVX |
| Flight origin |
Linate Airport Milan, Italy |
| Destination |
Le Bourget Airport Paris, France |
| Passengers | 2 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 4 (all) |
| Survivors | 0 (3 initially) |
The Linate Airport disaster occurred on 8 October 2001 at Linate Airport in Milan, Italy, when Scandinavian Airlines Flight 686, a McDonnell Douglas MD-87 airliner carrying 110 people bound for Copenhagen, Denmark, collided on take-off with a Cessna Citation CJ2 business jet carrying four people bound for Paris, France. All 114 people on both aircraft were killed, as well as four people on the ground. Investigation revealed that the collision was caused by a number of nonfunctioning and nonconforming safety systems, standards, and procedures at the airport. The Linate Airport disaster is the deadliest air disaster to ever occur in Italian aviation history.
Two aircraft were involved in the collision. The larger of the two aircraft was a McDonnell-Douglas MD-87. The jet was piloted by Captain Joakim Gustafsson (36) and First Officer Anders Hyllander (36). The captain was hired by SAS in 1987 and he had more than 5,800 hours of flight experience to his credit. He had logged approximately 230 hours in the aircraft type. The first officer was hired by the airline in 1997. At the time of the accident he had more than 4,300 total flying hours. He was more experienced in the aircraft type than his captain, having logged 2,000 hours in it.
The second aircraft was a Cessna Citation 525-A. There were two German pilots aboard. The captain was 36 years old. He had approximately 5,000 total flight hours, of which roughly 2,400 were accumulated in the aircraft type. The first officer was 64 years old. He had approximately 12,000 flight hours experience. He had logged roughly 2,000 hours in the aircraft type. One of the passengers was Luca Fossati, chairman of Star – Stabilimento Alimentare S.p.A. and owner of the Cessna Citation.
The accident occurred in thick fog, with visibility reduced to less than 200 metres (656 ft).
The Cessna Citation was instructed to taxi from the western apron along the northern taxiway (taxiway R5), and then via the northern apron to the main taxiway which runs parallel to the main runway, a route that would have kept it clear of the main runway. Instead, the pilot taxied along the southern taxi route (taxiway R6), crossing the main runway toward the main taxiway which lay beyond it (see diagram).
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Wikipedia