Caproni Trasporti

The pilot, sole on board, was engaged in a test flight on this first prototype equipped with nine wings and eight engines. This flight was the first test of the aircraft which was just built few days earlier. After takeoff from Lake Maggiore, while climbing to a height of 18 meters (some 60 feet), the eaplane stalled and crashed in the lake. The pilot Captain Semprini was slightly injured and the aircraft was destroyed. The project was later abandoned.

The aircraft departed Milan-Taliedo Airport at 0730LT on an uneventful flight to Venice-Marco Polo Airport where it landed at 0922LT. After spending all day in Venice, the aircraft took off around 1700LT for its back trip to Milan. While cruising at a height of 3,000 feet in the vicinity of Verona Airport, the airplane went out of control and crashed in a field. All 14 occupants were killed, which was considered as the worst air disaster at that time. Authorities confirmed that among the 12 passengers were five Italians journalists and seven engineers of the Italian aeroplane company Caproni.
Crew:
Lt Luigi Ridolfi, pilot
Lt Marco Resnati, pilot.

It is believed that the total number of persons on board was 14 but other sources wrote later that the total of death was 16 or 17. This was not confirmed either.

Eye-witnesses said something went wrong with the wings which appeared to flutter and then to collapse. Several of the passengers jumped, but everyone on board was killed.