What happened
On December 17, 2023, two separate incidents involving Tecnam P92 Echo ultralight aircraft occurred in the Piedmont region of Italy. The flights originated from Castagnole Lanze, where the two crews had stopped for lunch after a morning flight. Following a trip to the Ligurian coast, the two aircraft separated to return to their respective destinations: the Prealpi-Musinè airfield and the Pegasus airfield.
The first aircraft, I-6092, was returning to the Prealpi-Musinè airfield. After encountering headwinds and turbulence near the Apennines, the pilot noted significant haze that obscured ground details. Arriving near the destination after the official end of civil twilight, the pilot performed five circuits attempting to locate the unlit grass runway. Ultimately, the pilot attempted an emergency landing on a public road in San Gillio. The aircraft struck a light pole, causing significant structural damage and serious injuries to the two occupants.
The second aircraft, I-6251, was returning to the Pegasus airfield. The pilot also encountered haze that made identifying the airfield difficult. While attempting an approach, the pilot encountered a utility pole and cable obscured by the haze and decided to land in a nearby field instead. The aircraft struck the ground approximately 300 meters from the runway, resulting in serious injuries to the pilot and minor injuries to the passenger, along with substantial damage to the airframe.
The investigation
The ANSV investigation examined flight tracks from the SkyDemon navigation application, meteorological data, and aircraft wreckage. Investigators analyzed the timing of the flights relative to the sunset and the end of civil twilight (the legal limit for daytime VFR operations). The investigation also reviewed the pilots' decision-making processes and the environmental conditions, including the presence of radiation fog common under high-pressure systems.
Findings
- The primary cause of both accidents was the pilots' inability to identify landing references at their destination airfields due to the presence of haze and the onset of twilight.
- Inadequate flight planning failed to account for the increased flight time caused by headwinds, which resulted in the aircraft arriving after the legal limit for daytime VFR flight.
- The pilots demonstrated poor decision-making by continuing toward their original destinations despite deteriorating visibility and the high probability of arriving after sunset.
- A psychological phenomenon known as "get-home-itis" likely pressured the pilots to complete the mission despite the risks.
- The lack of airfield lighting and the non-distinctive nature of the grass runways made them particularly difficult to locate in low-light conditions.