Video: Gyrocopter Strikes Cable Car Line and Crashes in Antrona Schieranco, Italy, Killing Two

ANTRONA SCHIERANCO, Italy — Two people were killed when a gyrocopter struck cable car cables, caught fire and crashed near the Campliccioli dam in Italy’s northern Piedmont region on Wednesday, August 26.

The crash occurred at approximately 11:30 a.m. local time near Lake Campliccioli, at an elevation of about 1,400 meters in the Antrona Valley.

Aircraft Bursts Into Flames

Investigators believe the two-seat aircraft struck cables belonging to an Enel service cableway used to reach the dam before bursting into flames and falling onto the ground below.

Witnesses in the nearby village described seeing what appeared to be a “ball of fire” descending near the lake.

The victims were identified as pilot Sandro Muscinelli, 62, of Premeno, and passenger Antonella Pagliarani, 63, of Milan.

Emergency Crews Respond

Firefighters from Verbano-Cusio-Ossola responded alongside medical teams, Alpine rescuers and law enforcement officers.

A Drago firefighting helicopter from Malpensa assisted with extinguishing the fire and securing the remote crash site.

Authorities are investigating the circumstances that caused the aircraft to strike the cables.