What happened
On March 7, 2008, at approximately 11:50 UTC, a Scheibe SF 25C motor glider, registration I-IMAC, crashed into the northern face of Monte Campo dei Fiori near Punta Paradiso, Italy. The aircraft, operated by Aero Club “Adele Orsi,” had departed from Calcinate del Pesce for a local flight in an area well known to the pilot.
After taking off using its engine at approximately 11:30 UTC, the aircraft flew for about twenty minutes without any reported radio contact or apparent mechanical issues. The flight ended when the aircraft struck a steep rock wall at high energy, just meters below the mountain summit. The impact caused the total destruction of the aircraft and triggered a fire that eventually extinguished itself. The single fatality was the pilot, who died instantly upon impact.
The investigation
ANSV investigators conducted an operational site visit the day after the accident. The recovery of the wreckage was noted as particularly difficult due to the near-vertical terrain and the extensive destruction of the airframe.
Investigators examined the wreckage at a hangar used by the Aero Club “Adele Orsi.” While the state of the debris prevented the identification of a specific mechanical failure, evidence suggested the engine was running at the time of impact. This was supported by propeller fragments that showed signs of breaking while in rotation. No parts of the aircraft were found far from the impact site, suggesting no structural failure occurred during flight.
Technical documentation showed the aircraft was up to date with its maintenance inspections, and no prior incidents had been reported. The pilot was highly experienced, with over 1,655 flight hours, and held a valid medical certificate. An autopsy performed by judicial authorities confirmed the pilot died from blunt force trauma sustained during the collision and that the pilot suffered from a serious underlying medical condition.