Another view of Bruno Mussolini’s Piaggio P.108B MM22003 after the accident. This photo is technically interesting because show one of the two turrets Breda Z2, each with two 12,7 mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns mounted over the wing and remotely controlled, one of principal features of P.108. Victor Sierra

The Bruno’s plane: another view

The wreck of the Piaggio P.108B, military code MM22003, of Regia Aeronautica 274th Squadriglia Bombardamento Grande Raggio (Long Range Bombardment) destroyed near Pisa, on 7 August 1941, by the fatal accident which caused the death of Capt. Bruno Mussolini, commander of the same 274th Squadriglia and son of the Duce Benito Mussolini and Rachele Guidi, and of other two crewmember, the Lt. pilot Francesco Sacconi and the Warrant Office flight engineer Angelo Trezzini, while the other five on board saved oneself. The accident’s origin was an unexpected dropping of the pressure of hydraulic system just after the take-off from Pisa with flaps extended. Retracted the flaps the pilots decided to turn around and to return at the base. During the final approach to Pisa Airport, with landing gear up, the aircraft banked too sharply, lost speed and stalled banging into the terrain. That according many sources(according other loss of power), an in effect the few photos of the accident seeming confirm an impact on the terrain nose down, typical of a stall. But it seems to me that the only authentic technical accident report, in my opinion still unknown (supposing in existence), can say the real event’s sequence. An unhappy coincidence: also the Bruno Mussolini’s widow, Gina Ruberti, dead tragically, for a fast boat accident, on 4 May 1946, during the Como Lake, for a fast boat accident during a night tour on Como Lake with a friend and two English officers. Victor Sierra

The Bruno Mussolini’s death

One of the first Piaggio P.108 with a Savoia-Marchetti S.79 on an Italian airport, probably Guidonia, Rome, base of Italian Air Force’s flight test center. The Piaggio’s four engines bomber was a very expensive aircraft for Italian standards of Forties when the average Italian bomber cost were around 2.1 million lire (but the three engines S.79 were cheap, around 1.7 million lire). On the other hand the P.108’s cost were 5.2 million lire. According some sources a single squadron of nine P.108s capable of flying 1,100 km (580 nm) with load of 3,500 kg (7,700 lbs), had an estimated efficiency comparable to a group of 26 S.79s covering 1,000 km (500 nm) with 1,000 kg (2,200 lbs). The total cost of the aircraft was 46.8 and 45.6 million lire respectively, but only 54 crewmen were required to handling the P.108s compared to 130 required from the SM.79s. Beyond a shadow of a doubt the P.108 was a plane most advanced and up to date of the twin and three engines bomber aircraft with mixed or all wood structure employed at this time by Regia Aeronautica. Regrettably the continuous engine troubles prevented the promising career of this airplane. Victor Sierra