2002 Tampa Cessna 172 crash

On January 5, 2002, Charles J. Bishop, a 15-year-old student from Tarpon Springs, Florida, unlawfully took control of a Cessna 172 light aircraft and intentionally crashed it into the Bank of America Tower located in downtown Tampa, Florida. The impact resulted in Bishop's death and caused damage to an office space; no additional injuries were reported.

Bishop was reportedly motivated by the events of the September 11 attacks and left behind a suicide letter expressing admiration for Osama bin Laden while claiming to act in the name of Al Qaeda. Nonetheless, investigations uncovered no terrorist affiliations, and officials determined the event to be a suicide. Subsequently, Bishop’s mother initiated—but later withdrew—a legal action alleging that psychological effects from the acne treatment isotretinoin played a role in his behavior.

Flight

At approximately 5:00 pm EST, Bishop’s flight instructor briefly left him unattended in the aircraft to conduct a preflight check. Instead of remaining grounded, Bishop started the engine without permission and took off. Air traffic control notified both the United States Coast Guard and MacDill Air Force Base, yet despite warnings issued by a Coast Guard helicopter, the Cessna proceeded until crashing between the 28th and 29th floors of the 42-story Bank of America Tower.

Investigation and aftermath

The inquiry dismissed terrorism as a cause, concluding that the crash was a deliberate suicide despite eyewitness accounts indicating no avoidance maneuvers to prevent hitting the building. A note recovered from the crash site showed support for Osama bin Laden, but no connections to terrorist organizations were established. The suicide note authored by Bishop declared:

Authorities seized a computer from Bishop’s family residence to investigate potential motives. President George W. Bush received briefings concerning this incident along with two unrelated crashes occurring on the same day.

In April 2002, FAA transcripts disclosed how closely Bishop’s aircraft approached a Southwest Airlines flight.

Bishop’s mother pursued a $70 million (2002 USD) lawsuit against Roche Laboratories, makers of the acne medication Accutane, alleging that side effects such as depression contributed to her son’s actions. This lawsuit was withdrawn in June 2007 due to emotional and physical burdens.

Following these events, on January 6, the FAA released a security advisory addressing regulations for aircraft security and policies concerning underage flight students. The Experimental Aircraft Association along with other small aircraft organizations recommended strengthened security protocols for flight schools and light aircraft operations.

Officials attributed the crash primarily to an "abuse of trust" rather than a failure in security systems, although some advocated for tighter security measures given how easily such incidents could occur.

External links

• NTSB report