Incident Overview
On September 9, 2017, at approximately 08:30 UTC, a Piper PA-34-200T aircraft with registration G-STZA crashed near the town of Salussola in the Biella province. The accident occurred during a visual flight rules (VFR) transfer flight from the Pioviera airfield to Biella Cerrione Airport (LILE). The aircraft was destroyed, and the sole occupant, the pilot, was found deceased at the scene.
Flight Details and Sequence of Events
The aircraft departed Pioviera around 08:00 UTC with one person on board. The last recorded radio contact was made with the Milan Flight Information Center near Valenza at 08:12:00 UTC. Following this transmission, the aircraft ceased all radio communications and did not respond to subsequent calls from air traffic control entities. The wreckage was located approximately 2.2 nautical miles southwest of Biella Cerrione Airport, situated on the edge of a secondary road connecting Salussola and Cerrione at an altitude of roughly 853 feet.
Meteorological Conditions
Weather reports indicated challenging conditions at the time of the incident. At Biella Cerrione, visibility was estimated at 1,000 meters with light rain and overcast skies, with a cloud base as low as 500 feet. Regional forecasts for nearby airports such as Milan Malpensa and Turin Caselle predicted deteriorating conditions, including mist, showers, and thunderstorms. Satellite imagery confirmed widespread cloud cover associated with a frontal system approaching the Alpine region. There is no evidence that the pilot obtained specific weather briefings prior to departure.
Personnel and Aircraft Information
The pilot was a 70-year-old Italian male holding a Private Pilot Licence (A) with valid single-engine and multi-engine piston ratings. He had approximately 1,500 total flight hours but limited experience on this specific aircraft type, which he had recently acquired. His medical certificate included a limitation requiring corrective lenses for near vision. The autopsy attributed the pilot's death to impact injuries but could not determine if an acute spontaneous pathology, such as a stroke or coronary thrombosis, contributed to the event.