A recreational autogyro flight ended in tragedy on Wednesday, August 26, when an aircraft crashed near the Campliccioli dam in Antrona Schieranco, northern Italy, killing both people on board.
The victims were pilot Alessandro Angelo Muscinelli, a 62-year-old engineer from Premeno, and passenger Antonella Pagliarani, 63, from the Milan area. Pagliarani was the partner of Muscinelli’s brother.
The pair departed that morning from the Megolo airstrip in Pieve Vergonte aboard a yellow two-seat autogyro, registration I-949448, powered by a Rotax engine. Muscinelli was a member of the Croce Alata association based at the Megolo airfield.
At around 11 to 11:30 a.m., the aircraft was flying over the artificial lake at approximately 1,350–1,400 metres elevation when it struck cables belonging to an Enel-owned service cable car connecting to Lake Camposecco.
The nearly 60-year-old cable car is not open to the public and, according to Antrona Schieranco Mayor Franco Borsotti, its cables are positioned at least 100 metres above the ground. After hitting the cables, the autogyro caught fire and crashed onto sloping terrain below the dam wall near the lakeside meadow.
The accident was captured by two tourists in the area, while Italian state broadcaster Tg1 also obtained footage of the crash.
An autogyro, or gyroplane, resembles a small helicopter but operates differently. Its upper rotor is not powered directly by the engine. Instead, airflow causes the rotor to spin through “autorotation,” while an engine provides forward thrust.
According to preliminary reconstructions, the aircraft may have encountered a bank of clouds and attempted to turn back shortly before striking the cable. Investigators have not yet officially established what happened before the impact.
The tragedy was witnessed by Muscinelli’s brother, who was near the lake and was also Pagliarani’s partner. He was treated for shock.
Mayor Borsotti also witnessed the incident from his balcony, saying he saw the aircraft flying before a “fireball” appeared after it touched the cables. He questioned how the service line could have gone unnoticed, saying it “cannot not be marked on the maps.”
Borsotti also said the crash occurred inside Alta Valle Antrona Natural Park, where flights are normally restricted. Based on information available to him, no flight authorisation appeared to have been requested, although investigators must establish this officially.
The “Drago” rescue helicopter from Malpensa, firefighters and 118 medical personnel responded to the remote mountainous location but could only confirm both deaths.
Italy’s Guardia di Finanza is investigating the accident, focusing on visibility, the flight path, possible authorisation issues and the precise circumstances that led to the fatal cable collision.
