AviationNews – Two people have died after an autogyro collided with utility cableway wires, burst into flames midair, and crashed near the Campliccioli Dam in Italy’s Piedmont region on Wednesday. The fatal incident occurred during a scenic mountain flight, triggering an immediate emergency response across the Verbano-Cusio-Ossola province.
The two-seat light rotorcraft departed from the Megolo airfield in Pieve Vergonte on Wednesday morning, August 26, before navigating the rugged alpine terrain of the Upper Antrona Valley at an altitude of approximately 1,400 meters. While flying near the municipality of Antrona Schieranco, the aircraft struck suspended service cables belonging to the Enel utility cableway used for reservoir operations. Witnesses in nearby communities reported a loud explosion and saw the craft transform into a fireball before plummeting into the ground below the dam wall, killing both occupants—a 64-year-old pilot from Premeno and a 63-year-old passenger from the Milan area.
Unlike traditional helicopters that use engine power to drive the main rotor, a gyrocopter relies on aerodynamic autorotation, where airflow keeps the unpowered overhead blades spinning to generate lift while a separate engine propeller provides forward thrust. Striking high-tension suspended cables severed critical control components and ruptured onboard fuel cells, sparking an instantaneous midair blaze and destroying the aerodynamic stability required for an emergency autorotation landing.
“Emergency teams, alpine rescue squads, and specialized flight units mobilized immediately following the initial alert,” stated a spokesperson coordinating the regional emergency operations. “Our technical specialists are now working closely with judicial and aviation authorities to reconstruct the flight trajectory and evaluate how the aircraft crossed the path of the utility lines.”
The tragic collision has prompted Italian civil aviation bodies and regional infrastructure operators to re-examine low-altitude flight regulations and obstacle warning systems throughout alpine valleys. Safety organizations are calling for enhanced physical marking on industrial mountain cableways and upgraded digital aeronautical charting to better warn general aviation pilots about low-altitude hazards.
The disaster underscores the persistent navigation challenges that suspended mountain infrastructure poses to light recreational aviation. Upcoming investigative reports will clarify the precise technical sequence of the collision and help formulate revised safety standards for mountainous flight corridors.