On July 23, a small aircraft crashed into a building in the Swiss city of Basel, killing the pilot and injuring three others, local police said.

The incident happened at about 11:25 a.m. local time (0925 GMT) shortly after the aircraft took off from the Euro Airport, which is north of Basel just inside French territory.

Only the pilot himself was in the small aircraft, which was destined for Wisconsin of the United States.

Local media said at least three others, including a fireman, were injured.

According to the official Swissinfo website, the pilot was identified as Hans Georg Schmid, and he was attempting a solo non-stop aviation speed record flight across the Atlantic to commemorate the 1927 flight from New York to Paris by Charles Lindbergh.

The experimental plane, which Schmid built himself over several years, contained 1,700 liters of kerosene and crashed into an apartment building in the western part of Basel near the French border.

The top floor of the apartment block went up in flames and residents were evacuated.

Sabrina Walter from the communications department at the Euro Airport said the pilot was attempting a world record to fly solo in 30 hours to Oshkosh in the U.S. state of Wisconsin for an aviation show.

The experienced pilot, whose project was called "St Louis Memory Flight," had wanted to travel 8,000 kilometers in memory of the non-stop Atlantic crossing by Lindbergh 80 years ago.

Switzerland's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has opened an inquiry into the accident.