At 17:03 eastern time, a Cessna 172R was crashed into the side of the Bank of America Building, killing the student pilot. The student was instructed to preflight the airplane and wait for the instructor, but instead the student took off without clearance from the tower. The airplane flew over the control tower and three hangars at McDill Air Force Base before proceeding downtown. An unarmed Coast Guard helicopter intercepted the airplane and attempted to get the pilot to land. The helicopter pilots said they believed the student pilot saw their hand gestures and gestured back, however they could not determine what kind of gestures the student pilot was making. Shortly thereafter, the airplane collided with the building, imbedding itself into the 28th floor.
January 05, Tampa, Fla. / Cessna Skyhawk
At 17:03 eastern time, a Cessna 172R was crashed into the side of the Bank of America Building, killing the student pilot. The student was instructed to preflight the airplane and wait for the instructor, but instead the student took off without clearance from the tower. The airplane flew over the control tower and three hangars at McDill Air Force Base before proceeding downtown. An unarmed Coast Guard helicopter intercepted the airplane and attempted to get the pilot to land. The helicopter pilots said they believed the student pilot saw their hand gestures and gestured back, however they could not determine what kind of gestures the student pilot was making. Shortly thereafter, the airpla...
Key Takeaways:
- A student pilot took off in a Cessna 172R without clearance, defying instructions to wait for an instructor.
- The airplane flew erratically over a military base before being intercepted by an unarmed Coast Guard helicopter that attempted to signal the pilot to land.
- The student pilot then crashed the Cessna into the 28th floor of the Bank of America Building, dying in the incident.
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