Reggio Emilia «I was flying the plane when, suddenly, I felt that I had no power and in a few seconds I had to evaluate where to land. Experience and luck saved me.” You spent Sunday inspecting the plane, inspecting the landing site and the vehicle and doing things after the thrilling landing in the fields of Villa Curta on Saturday evening. Gianfranco Giglietti, 67 years old, from Cadelbosco Sopracurrently retired but still working as a consultant for the Turin company he previously worked for.
Giglietti had just transported the parachutists and was returning to Campovolo, where the parachuting school is located Bfu. Suddenly, he felt a drop in power that forced him to land, with the Cesna 2008, that he was driving, in the fields on his left, near the Villa Curta farm, in via Pinotto Pinotti. For Giglietti, who started in 1978 as a parachutist, then became an instructor in 1987 and got his pilot’s license the following year, then starting the path to becoming a skydiving pilot, the lightning-fast choice on Saturday, shortly after 8pm, was It was a concentration of experience, skill and luck.
Giglietti, what happened on Saturday night?
«I was launched at 4,200 meters above sea level, then, on the way down, I called: “Entry right base 2.9”. Translated, it means “from Villa Curta towards Reggio. Then I adjusted the plane’s attitude for landing. I gave power, but it wasn’t delivered, my perception was that, even if I was still going, I wouldn’t have been able to get onto the pitch and in just a few seconds I had to decide what to do.”
What was he thinking in those handful of moments?
«Having no power, I had to evaluate where to land the plane: I looked and saw a left field which I considered the useful solution, the only area I could take into consideration. I covered the entire field during the landing phase and finished the race by crossing the road at the end, until I rested the front part of the aircraft inside the ditch.”
What caused this drop in power?
«We don’t know what it originated from. The inspection phases will lead to understanding the causes.”
Has an investigation been opened?
«The National Agency for Flight Safety (ANSV) opened it: for every plane accident – in this case fortunately without consequences for people or things – an investigation is carried out to understand the causes and disclose them to prevent it from happening Still”.
What characteristics does the plane you were flying have?
«The Cesna is a recent machine, it will be about twenty years old which for this type of vehicle means that it is still suitable, always regularly inspected through the control of specialized companies».
Had a similar experience already happened to you?
«Yes, it had happened to me before, last time it was a turbine that broke, but I was at high altitude. On Saturday I didn’t have time to think, in those moments you have to concentrate on the main actions. There was no time. There’s definitely experience, but I’ve also been lucky. I saved my life and managed to land in an emergency without damage and with only minor damage to the aircraft on the turbine and propeller from the impact in the ditch.”
How many flew on Saturday?
«Sixteen takeoffs without anomalies, the emergency landing occurred after the last takeoff. I climbed from Reggio to 4,200 metres, once the paratroopers had dropped I asked for authorization to descend and in the final part I saw the drop in power».l © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
