Small plane crashes into Florida bank tower
January 5, 2002 3:04 PM   Subscribe

Small plane crashes into Florida bank tower Small non-commercial plane crashes into a Bank of America tower in downtown Tampa. Followed (chased) by a coast-guard helicopter.
posted by antimarx (38 comments total)
 
A 15-year-old student pilot was at the controls of the plane when it took off from a nearby airport in St. Petersburg, according to a spokesman for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department.


That from CNN
posted by Blake at 3:11 PM on January 5, 2002


CNN article here, with photo. Seems it's just an unfortunate accident.
posted by anildash at 3:21 PM on January 5, 2002


sigh.

Can we start joking about this kind of stuff yet? I mean after my stomach drops back out of my throat.
posted by joemaller at 3:44 PM on January 5, 2002


Suicide, IMHO.
posted by aramaic at 3:56 PM on January 5, 2002



Can we start joking about this kind of stuff yet?

i hope so. that photo cries out for a punchline.
posted by quonsar at 4:02 PM on January 5, 2002


I'm trying to think of a punchline for that photo:

"Oops."

"Somebody order a pizza?"

"I tried to land on the street but man! The traffic!"

Nothin' good's coming to mind. Does this kinda thing happen a lot and it's just now that the media's reporting it?
posted by ZachsMind at 4:25 PM on January 5, 2002


No, planes don't crash into buildings a lot. :-)

The teen was apparently, from latest reports, a student of National Aviation Academy instructor Paul Lieder (sp), his mother and or grandmother brought him out to lessons, and I concur with aramaic, as does my commercial pilot best friend: suicidal teenager.

Planes don't, in general, fail into straight and level, either.

Nice punchlines, BTW, Zach.

And: now does everyone understand what is supposed to happen when a plane flies into a building?
posted by baylink at 4:30 PM on January 5, 2002


And: now does everyone understand what is supposed to happen when a plane flies into a building?

Is that a trick question? Because I thought I knew, but now maybe I don't.
posted by keli at 4:33 PM on January 5, 2002


"Hi, my name is Charles Bishop, and I'd like to learn to fly a small plane."
"Certainly sir. We'll give you Chuck, here. Chuck's our best man. Chuck taught John Kennedy."
posted by dong_resin at 4:38 PM on January 5, 2002


*sigh*
posted by antimarx at 4:39 PM on January 5, 2002


school shootings are so 1999.
posted by quonsar at 4:45 PM on January 5, 2002


Small Plane Crashes in Colorado

Small Plane Crashes in Calif.

Plane Crashes Into Tampa Skyscraper


Seems to be small plane day here in America.

Hmmm........
posted by a3matrix at 4:47 PM on January 5, 2002


I used to work in that building. Freaky shit indeed.
posted by Optamystic at 5:03 PM on January 5, 2002


"What a hack." thought Osama, closing his laptop and gesturing to the cabana boy for another virgin Sex on the Beach.
posted by joemaller at 5:09 PM on January 5, 2002


quonsar:


Another one bites thw dust

Look Ma no Wings!

posted by DBAPaul at 5:09 PM on January 5, 2002


"Message for you, sir."
posted by dong_resin at 5:12 PM on January 5, 2002


SUICIDAL SKYSCRAPER THROWS SELF IN PATH OF ONCOMING AIRPLANE
posted by Optamystic at 5:13 PM on January 5, 2002


optamysic...comic gold, heh.

It is tough to land a decent office job in this economy, though...
posted by Kevs at 5:34 PM on January 5, 2002


skallas:

[Pilot to co-pilot] Hold my beer, and watch this!
posted by diddlegnome at 5:37 PM on January 5, 2002


"You get what you pay for", said on onlooker shortly after hearing the aircraft belonged to Tampa's Learn-to-fly-a-cessna-for-lessa
posted by Eric Lloyd NYC at 5:43 PM on January 5, 2002


"Damn reflective windows."
posted by Espoo2 at 5:47 PM on January 5, 2002


Kinda looks like a stunt gone wrong from True Lies.
posted by riffola at 5:58 PM on January 5, 2002


Folks, these jokes don’t seem very appropriate. Obviously what you need a quote punch line. Something like:

Too close for missiles, I'm switching to guns.

or

Use the Force Luke

Or, perhaps the ultimate...

Just gimme gimme gimme gimme
Fried chicken vision vision vision vision vision

posted by willnot at 6:31 PM on January 5, 2002


Keli: my point was that what *happened*, this time, is what's supposed to happen, ie: In general, not much.

That is: no, you really don't have to be all *that* paranoid about working in a tall building.
posted by baylink at 6:38 PM on January 5, 2002


Got it.

Now I'll just be paranoid about coming into the office on weekends.
posted by keli at 6:59 PM on January 5, 2002


(Matt, please check the DNS; MeFi seems to be redirected to SomethingAwful.)

What surprised me was that he wasn't a former employee.
posted by dhartung at 7:30 PM on January 5, 2002


Officeworker with cube near window:

What is that? A lawnmower?
posted by KLAX at 7:33 PM on January 5, 2002


(Matt, please check the DNS; MeFi seems to be redirected to SomethingAwful.)

That's interesting. Earlier today it was redirecting from my computer (trying both Opera and Mozilla) to sharperimage.com. It worked fine from my husband's computer. A boot of my pc cleared it. Not sure what caused that.

Jen
posted by NsJen at 8:10 PM on January 5, 2002


At least you didn't get "redirected" into a goddamn skyscraper. Limited reboot options in that situation.
posted by Optamystic at 8:35 PM on January 5, 2002


Somewhere, Osama bin Laden is saying "I shall call him Mini-Me"
posted by jonmc at 8:49 PM on January 5, 2002


Jonmc, the office cleaning lady is gonna kick my ass. I nose-snarfed Mountain Dew all over the place, and it's all your fault.
posted by Optamystic at 8:54 PM on January 5, 2002


Ditto. Nice one.
posted by dong_resin at 9:43 PM on January 5, 2002


In related news, T.S. Garp has declared the property "disaster proof".
posted by Optamystic at 9:46 PM on January 5, 2002


"Hmm, usually it's just the birds that smack into the windows. We better look into that."
posted by kokogiak at 11:20 PM on January 5, 2002


> FBI discounts terrorist ties

Privatization is cool. I want one with a lot of little smiling Osama heads, and I can't wait to try a Windsor knot on some sort of Gerry Adams thing on a Paisley background. I hope they're cutting prices on the war criminals collection, too.
posted by pracowity at 2:31 AM on January 6, 2002


Update: TAMPA, Florida (CNN) -- A stolen, single-engine plane being pursued by a Coast Guard helicopter on Saturday slammed halfway up the 41-story Bank of America building in downtown Tampa, authorities said.
posted by Carol Anne at 6:09 AM on January 6, 2002


Gold medal to jonmc.

Good one.
posted by a3matrix at 10:05 AM on January 6, 2002


Teen pilot in Tampa crash had 'sympathy' for Osama
The Guardian, from the suicide note.
posted by Zootoon at 2:10 PM on January 6, 2002


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