A sightseeing flight over the mountains of northern Italy ended in tragedy Wednesday when a light aircraft struck service cables near the Campliccioli Dam, caught fire and crashed. The pilot, 62-year-old Alessandro Angelo Muscinelli, and his 63-year-old sister-in-law, Antonella Felagrani, were killed in the accident.
Video footage captured the aircraft’s final moments. The two-seat autogyro can be seen flying over the mountainous landscape before hitting cables above the dam. The aircraft immediately burst into flames and plunged to the ground.
The tragedy was witnessed by Muscinelli's brother, who had been waiting near the lake for the aircraft to arrive. His brother and partner were on board, meaning he watched helplessly as both were killed within seconds. Italian reports said the family later took part in identifying the victims.
The crash occurred at around 11 a.m. in the Campliccioli Lake area of the Antrona Valley in Piedmont. The aircraft struck cables belonging to an ekectric company cable car, which is used for electricity infrastructure and is not open to the public.
Firefighters, mountain rescue teams and a helicopter were dispatched to the crash site, but rescuers were unable to save the two occupants. Muscinelli, an engineer and experienced pilot, was familiar with the area and frequently took relatives and friends on flights over the region.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the crash. Investigators are examining weather and visibility conditions, including the possibility that sunlight blinded the pilot, as well as a potential technical malfunction and whether the cables were adequately marked on aviation maps.
Antrona, Shierenco Mayor Franco Borsotti said he witnessed the crash from the balcony of his home. He described seeing the aircraft in the air before it struck the cables and became “a ball of fire."
The investigation is expected to determine what caused the aircraft to hit the cables, but for the family, the consequences are already irreversible: what began as a scenic flight over the mountains ended with two relatives dead and another family member watching the disaster unfold from the ground.