Perugia, 18 June 2024 – They were two expert pilots, lovers of flying, both from Perugia. They died in a fatal crash yesterday afternoon, around 7.30pm. An outing like many others, on an ultralight taking off from Castelvieto. But for Massimiliano Mancini, 57 years old, and Francesco Conestabile Della Staffa, forty years old, that outing turned into a tragedy: they died in the crash of the aircraft, which hit the ground between San Mariano and Solomeo in a field, in via Bazzucchi. The accident occurred not far from a model aircraft runway. So much so that the woman who raised the alarm, who first called for help, wasn’t sure if what she had seen crash it was a “real” ultralight or one of the many model airplanes he saw flying from the terrace every day.
They witnessed the scene also four little boys, who were playing not far away, and who said they saw the small plane hit the ground, straight on, in a fatal crash. Emergency vehicles, firefighters and police intervened at the scene of the accident. Unfortunately, however, there was nothing left to do for the two on board: they were both dead, on the spot. Police and firefighters have carried out all the investigations and others will most likely be ordered by the magistrate dealing with the accident, deputy prosecutor Bettini. The aircraft has been seized and the remains will be analyzed to understand what could have happened and what the cause of the accident was.
Which, according to an initial reconstruction, could be due to a technical failure given that, as mentioned, there were two pilots on board, both experienced: if one of the two had suffered an illness, the other could have intervened. Only hypotheses, so far, which will have to be confirmed by technical analyses on the remains of the ultralight. For now, the community’s torment remains: the relatives of the victims also arrived at the site of the tragedy in the evening.
