Rome - A US warplane that caused a cable-car accident which killed 20 people in the Dolomites strayed from its pre-set route and flew under the cable lines, Italy's Defence Minister, Mr Beniamino Andreatta, said yesterday.
The US Marines EA-6B Grumman prowler surveillance plane cut through steel cables with its tail fin while flying at a height of about 100 metres. Mr Andreatta said the plane was flying off its pre-established route by 10 km and should not have been lower than 660 metres.