What happened
On November 19, 2016, at 13:16 UTC, an Agusta A109A II helicopter, registration N109W, crashed into the summit of trees near Monte Rho, located between the municipalities of Bisuschio and Arcisate. The aircraft had departed from Lugano airport for a flight to Caiolo.
During the flight, the pilot encountered low visibility and mist near the southern edge of Lake Lugano. In an attempt to avoid flying at an extremely low altitude, the pilot decided to navigate toward a nearby hill to find a clear path toward the Po Valley. However, as the aircraft approached the terrain, the pilot realized the rate of climb was insufficient to clear the obstacle. The helicopter struck the treetops, causing the main rotor to separate from the transmission and the tail rotor to break away, leading to the subsequent impact with the ground.
The accident resulted in one fatality (a passenger) and two serious injuries (the pilot and another passenger).