HORROR IN THE ITALIAN ALPS- Gyrocopter Explodes Into Fireball After Hitting Cable Car Wires As Pilot’s Brother And Victim’s Husband Watches In Shock From Below

A sightseeing flight over a stunning Italian mountain reservoir turned into a nightmare yesterday when a two-seater gyrocopter smashed into overhead cables, burst into a fireball, and plunged to the ground.

The 62-year-old pilot and his 63-year-old passenger were killed instantly in the crash near the Campliccioli dam in Piedmont’s Valle Antrona.In a cruel twist, the man watching from the ground was the pilot’s own brother, and the husband of the woman on board. He was found in a state of shock after witnessing the tragedy unfold in front of him.

The lightweight Magni M16 autogyro was flying low over the turquoise waters of the artificial lake at around 1,400 metres when its rotor blades struck the cables of an Enel service funicular used to reach the dam.

Video footage circulating online captures the aircraft crossing the valley before it clips the wires. Within seconds it becomes a ball of orange flame and smoke, tumbling down the steep rock face beside the concrete dam wall.

Locals described seeing a “palla di fuoco” – a fireball – erupt in the sky.

Alessandro Angelo Muscinelli, an engineer from Premeno, was at the controls. His passenger, Antonella Pagliarani from the Milan area, was his brother’s partner.

The pair had taken off from a nearby airfield for what was meant to be a scenic flight over the protected mountain park close to the Swiss border.

Mayor Franco Borsotti, who saw the incident from his balcony, said the aircraft was flying when suddenly there was a ball of fire. Emergency services, including firefighters and alpine rescue teams, rushed to the remote site, but both occupants died at the scene.

Investigators are examining how the gyrocopter came into contact with the long-standing cables above the reservoir. The service line has been in place for decades and is not open to the public.

The crash has left the close-knit valley community in mourning. What began as a family outing over one of Italy’s most beautiful high-altitude lakes ended in seconds of horror that no one on the ground will ever forget.