Cessna 182 OE-DNB Incident at Monte Morrone

Incident Overview and Investigation Scope On 13 April 2001, a single-engine Cessna 182 with registration OE-DNB crashed in the Monte Morrone area within the municipality of Salle, Province of Pescara, Italy. The incident occurred during a visual flight rules (VFR) touristic flight from Portorose, Slovenia, to Naples. The National Agency for the Safety of Flight (ANSV) conducted the technical investigation in accordance with ICAO Annex 13 and Italian legislation, with the sole objective of preventing accidents and excluding any assessment of fault or liability. ## Flight Details and Sequence of Events The aircraft departed Portorose at 13:29 UTC, carrying one pilot and three passengers. The planned flight duration was 130 minutes at a cruising speed of approximately 130 knots, with a route over Pola, Ancona, Teano, Capua, and Aversa. The last radio contact was established with Pescara Approach at 14:58:18 UTC, after the pilot had estimated an arrival time in Naples of 15:35. The last radar contact was recorded at approximately 15:05 UTC. ## Search, Recovery, and Environmental Factors The wreckage was located on the morning of 15 April by an air rescue helicopter at coordinates 42° 07' 56''N–013° 55' 55''E, at an altitude of approximately 1,800 meters in a rugged, difficult-to-access area. Search operations were significantly hampered by adverse weather conditions in the incident area. The incident was reported to ANSV by ENAV SpA on the day of the event at 17:35 local time. The disappearance alert originated from reports to the Brindisi CRAV by two IFR aircraft that had detected a crash beacon signal on 121.5 MHz.