Free Republic

Sky News aviation expert Byron Bailey says passengers aboard the crashed China Eastern Airlines flight would have been “screaming all the way down” as the plane plunged into the side of a mountain. Mr Bailey said the Boeing 737-800 had “perfect” flight conditions given the temperature and wind speeds. All 132 passengers on board the flight are believed to be dead after the plane plunged into a forest over China’s Guangxi province on Monday afternoon, local time. “Thunderstorms, that’s the only big worry these days; you avoid thunderstorms,” he said. “As far as the malfunction of the airplane goes, the...

A well-known local pilot radioed for help before slamming his plane into a Milan, Italy skyscraper today, in an apparent accident that at first seemed like a chilling rerun of 9/11. "Witnesses saw a streak of fire before the single-engine Piper hit the 30-story building in Milan," reports CBS News. "Police say the pilot, who was well-known in local aviation circles, reported having technical problems before the crash." The Milan building, which houses both government and commercial offices, is being searched for possible victims, with two bodies recovered by early afternoon. Several floors have reportedly been damaged.