What happened
On August 22, 2020, at approximately 10:05 local time, a serious airprox incident occurred in the airspace near Mezzovico, Ticino. Two aircraft flying under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) experienced a close encounter with reduced separation distances.
The first aircraft, a Cessna T207A with registration 9H-FMJ, was performing a private flight originating from Leutkirch-Unterzeil (EDNL) in Germany, with a planned destination of Lugano-Agno (LSZA).
The second aircraft, a Pilatus PC-6/B2-H4 registered as HB-FKH, was operating a private flight departing from Locarno (LSZL) and was also flying within the same airspace.
The investigation
The Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (SUST) has opened an inquiry into the event. The preliminary report focuses on the dynamics of the encounter within Class E airspace. The investigation aims to establish the exact circumstances that led to the reduced separation between the two aircraft during their respective VFR operations.