Helicopter crashes near Mantua, killing pilot. The helicopter reportedly struck an Enel power line before crashing.

A serious plane crash occurred this morning, Friday 14 November, in the countryside of Casalromano, in the Mantua area, on the border with the province of Cremona. private helicopter model H135, belonging to the company Heliwest srl based in Costigliole (Asti), crashed around 10:40 in Fontanella Grazioli locality, along the road Sappidola MillOn board was found only the pilot, Marco Eusebio Pavan, 56 years old, born in Turin and resident in Isola d'Asti, who lost his life instantly.

The dynamics: the car hit an Enel pylon before the crash.

According to the first reconstructions of Carabinieri of the Provincial Command of Mantua, the helicopter, departed from Costigliole d'Asti and directed towards Verona Airport, was flying at low altitude over an agricultural area between Casalromano and The Isle when he would have hit a steel cable of an Enel pylonThe impact caused the concrete structure to be dragged away, with the helicopter then crashing to the ground, cutting down some trees and completely destroying itself.

The pilot's body was thrown several meters from the point of impact. The alarm was raised by a agricoltore who was nearby and who, after hearing the noise of the overflight and the roar of the crash, immediately contacted the emergency services.

Immediate, but useless, relief

They intervened quickly on site an air ambulance from Brescia, a medical car, an ambulance, several teams of the Mantua Fire Brigade and Carabinieri of Viadana, coordinated by Colonel Pancrazio Dario VigliottaThe intervention was classified as red code, but there was nothing that could be done for the pilot: when the rescue arrived he was already lifeless.

The accident area was immediately secured e placed under seizure to allow for technical surveys. The Fire Brigade worked extensively to clear the wreckage and assess any risks associated with electrical cables and spilled fuel.

The ANSV investigation

THENational Agency for Flight Safety (ANSV) has opened asafety investigation and sent a investigator to determine the causes of the accident. According to the first official communication, it was a EC135 helicopter (civilian variant H135) and the event "occurred in a rural area in Casalromano. The pilot, the sole occupant of the aircraft, died."

The authorities are not ruling out the possibility at the moment no hypothesis: we are investigating a possible pilot's illness, technical issue or error of judgment caused by poor visibility due to thick fog which this morning engulfed the entire area.

Fog and other accidents in the area

In fact, in the morning the weather conditions in the Mantua area were particularly difficult: a blanket of very thick fog it also caused several road accidents on the A22, the Brenner motorway, between Pegognaga and Mantova Sud, with sixteen people involved e seven wounded hospitalized in various hospitals.

According to experts, the reduced visibility could have compromised the pilot's orientation during low-altitude flight, making it impossible to avoid the obstacle.

Another tragedy in the Italian skies

The Casalromano tragedy arrives a few days after another plane crashLast week a civilian helicopter crashed in the area ofMoon Alp, between Tuscany and Marche, causing the death of Mario Paglicci, 77 years old, entrepreneur and goldsmith from Arezzo, and of Fulvio Casini, 67 years old, originally from Siena.

Two close episodes that rekindle the debate on the safety of private flights in Italy and on the need for strengthen safety controls and procedures in critical weather conditions.

The investigations

Operations of collection of wreckage and technical survey are still in progress. The area remains traffic prohibited and under strict surveillance by the police. The ANSV, together with theENAC and Carabinieri of the Provincial Command of Mantua, will try to determine whether the crash was caused by human error, mechanical failure or environmental factor.