Safety

Investigators are seeking to identify the cause of a fatal accident on 7 February of a Cessna Citation III that crashed shortly after take-off from Italy's Rome Ciampino airport, killing the two crew members. The aircraft - registration I-FEEV - operated by Air One Executive was en route to Bologna, where it was due to pick up a medical team. According to preliminary reports the aircraft encountered a bad thunderstorm during the initial climb. Witnesses saw lightning before hearing an explosion caused by the impact of the Citation hitting the ground, spreading the wreckage across a wide area. The Citation III underwent a routine inspection the day before the accident, and was declared airworthy.