Romanian billionaire among eight dead in plane crash near Milan

A Romanian billionaire was killed — along with his wife, son and five other people — when the plane he was piloting crashed into a building in Italy on Sunday, local media reported.

Dan Petrescu, 68, one of the richest men in his home country, was operating a single-engine Pilatus PC-12 that was seen in flames before it slammed into an office building undergoing renovations in San Donato Milanese, a town southeast of Milan, authorities said.

The fatal wreck took place minutes after the plane took off from Milan’s Linate airport at about 1 p.m., according to aviation agency ANSV, which has opened an investigation.

The plane’s black box has been recovered, the Corriere della Sera newspaper reported, citing
Deputy prosecutor Tiziana Siciliano.

The billionaire’s 65-year-old wife, their son Dan Stefano, 30, and a child were also among the eight people aboard the plane that died in the wreck, according to Corriere and the AGI news agency.

Petrescu headed a major construction firm and owned a string of hypermarkets and malls.

With Post wires

A piece of the plane near the crash site.
A piece of the plane near the crash site.
LaPresse/Sipa USA
Firefighters respond to the crash at a Milanese office building.
Firefighters respond to the crash at a Milanese office building.
DAPRESS / SplashNews.com
source: nypost.com