Milan crash pilot nicknamed Cowboy of the Air
The pilot in the Milan plane crash was nicknamed Cowboy of the Air and Out of Oil.
Luigi Fasulo was given the names after twice running out of fuel and not being able to make it to a runway.
But Magadino Airport director Sandro Balestra - where Mr Fasulo was based - says he was an excellent pilot with more 5,000 hours of flight time in over 30 years.
But he confirmed stories that Mr Fasulo once ran out of fuel as he approached Zurich airport and missed the runway by more than a mile.
Another time, under similar circumstances, he landed in a potato field.
After the Zurich incident, which occurred over a decade ago, Mr Fasulo temporarily lost his pilot's licence and had to take a test to have it reissued, Mr Balestra says.
Mr Fasulo and two government lawyers inside the landmark Pirelli building were killed in Thursday's crash.
