Milan crash: What the papers say

The plane punched a hole through both sides of the building

LONDON, England -- Newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic have been speculating about what caused a small plane to crash into Milan's landmark Pirelli tower.

Corriere della Sera airs the theory, quoting the Italian authorities, that pilot Luigi Fasulo might have committed suicide. A heart attack is also listed as a possible cause of the disaster.

It reports that an investigation is under way into an alleged shortfall of 140,000 euros in his bank account.

The newspaper said his friends nicknamed him "short of oil" because he was often short of fuel. He had 30 years experience as a pilot with 5,000 hours of flying.

CNN NewsPass VIDEO A small private plane slammed into Milan's tallest building, killing at least three people and injuring dozens. CNN's Jim Clancy reports (April 18) Play video Plane punched holes in both side of the building. (April 18) Play video   MORE STORIES • Witnesses talk of Milan plane horror  • New Yorkers' first thought: 'Not again'  • Chronology: Skyscraper disasters    EXTRA INFORMATION CNN Access: Milan crash evokes terror fears    RESOURCES • Gallery: Pictures of the crash scene  • The flight path  • The Pirelli building

La Repubblica gave publicity to the suicide theory, quoting the pilot's son Marco Fasulo, who also said his father had just discovered he was financially broken.

The president of the Region Lombardy Government and the mayor of Milan also supported the suicide theory.

Friends and colleagues from the Aeroclub he used to fly from, in Locarno, added that he was flying in the wrong air space if he was planning to land at the Linate airport.

La Stampa interviewed Fasulo's wife who said "we don't know much yet. I'm shocked. The only thing I can say is that my husband was an expert pilot."

And a businesswoman who had flown with Fasulo told the paper: "He was an expert pilot, but sometimes he was also a bit crazy, like when he landed on a potato field because he was short of fuel."

In the UK The Guardian quoted a sports journalist who said the plane "was in flames before it hit the building."

It reports pilots familiar with plane saying the controls sometimes needed tugging to make them respond, prompting the theory that this exertion may have brought on a heart attack

The Washington Post asks how did an experienced pilot hit Milan's best-known contemporary landmark dead-centre on a clear day, creating dazed victims and plumes of smoke that were reminiscent of September 11?