Incident Overview
On 20 September 2020, at 07:49 UTC (09:49 local time), a Pilatus PC-6 aircraft, registration T7-SKY, was involved in a midair collision with a skydiver near Livrasco, a hamlet of Castelverde in the province of Cremona, Italy. The aircraft had just completed a parachute drop of ten skydivers and was descending when it collided with one of the skydivers who was performing a drift jump wearing a track suit. Following the collision, the aircraft went out of control and crashed. The skydiver died from the impact with the aircraft, and the pilot died upon impact with the ground.
Investigation
The Italian National Flight Safety Agency (ANSV) was notified on the same day and conducted an on-site investigation on 20 and 21 September 2020. The accident was notified to the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (SISI) and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB Canada) in accordance with international and EU regulations. SISI accredited a representative to participate in the investigation. For technical analysis of the Vigil II Automatic Activation Device (AAD) carried by the skydiver, the Belgian Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU(Be)) was involved to coordinate data download and decoding with the manufacturer.
Aircraft and Operational Context
The aircraft, a Pilatus PC-6, was engaged in parachute drop operations. After releasing ten skydivers, the aircraft was in a descent phase when the collision occurred. The skydiver involved was executing a drift jump, a discipline involving horizontal movement during freefall using a track suit. No further details on the aircraft's equipment or the pilot's qualifications were provided in the preliminary information.
Facts Established
The investigation report, structured according to international standards, includes chapters on flight history, injuries, aircraft damage, personnel information, aircraft information, meteorological conditions, navigation aids, communications, airport information, flight recorders, wreckage and impact site, medical and pathological information, fire, survival aspects, tests and research, organizational and management information, supplementary information, and effective investigation techniques. However, the full report text beyond the table of contents was not available for this summary.
Conclusion
The accident resulted in two fatalities: the skydiver and the pilot. The probable cause of the accident has not been disclosed in the provided source material.