What happened
On May 26, 2002, a Beechcraft 95-B55 Baron, registration I-JULI, crashed in the Alta Valle del Mommio, near Fivizzano, Italy. The aircraft was performing a visual flight rules (VFR) flight from Cannes, France, to Ravenna, Italy, carrying a pilot and three passengers.
During the flight, the pilot transitioned from coastal areas into mountainous terrain. After leaving Sestri Levante, the pilot requested a descent to reach Pavullo. While descending, the aircraft entered a cloud formation, resulting in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The pilot, who was not rated for instrument flight rules (IFR), lost visual contact with the ground. Shortly before the impact, the aircraft emerged from the clouds at a very low altitude. The pilot attempted an instinctive nose-up maneuver to avoid the terrain, which caused a sudden loss of airspeed and an unrecoverable stall.
There were four people on board, with one passenger sustaining serious injuries and two others suffering minor injuries.
The investigation
The ANSV investigation examined radar tracks, radio communications, and wreckage analysis. Radar data confirmed the aircraft was in a descent, dropping from 6,700 feet to approximately 4,600 feet in the final minutes of flight. The investigation also reviewed meteorological reports from Albenga and Genoa, which indicated scattered clouds and low-altitude cloud cover in the region. The investigation focused on the pilot's decision to descend through terrain while losing visual reference and the subsequent aerodynamic response of the aircraft during the final seconds of flight.