Two people were killed Wednesday when a small gyrocopter struck the cables of a utility cableway and crashed near the Campliccioli dam in northern Italy's Verbano-Cusio-Ossola province, according to local reports.

The crash occurred around 11:30 a.m. near Antrona Schieranco, when the two-seat aircraft collided with cables of a service line used by energy utility Enel to access the dam, before coming down near Lake Campliccioli and catching fire.

Both occupants died: pilot Alessandro Muscinelli, 62, of Premeno, and passenger Antonella Pagliarani, 63, his sister-in-law. Some early reports gave slightly different ages and details for the pilot.

Firefighters from the Verbano-Cusio-Ossola command, aided by a helicopter based at Malpensa airport, responded to the scene along with mountain rescue teams, but neither victim could be saved.

A gyrocopter, or gyroplane, differs from a helicopter in that its overhead rotor is unpowered and spins freely through airflow, while the engine provides only forward thrust — a lightweight design often used for low-altitude recreational flights.

Authorities have opened an investigation into the cause of the collision. The case is expected to be referred to prosecutors in Verbania, though no findings have been announced.

The Ossola region has a fraught history with cable-related disasters, most notably the 2021 Stresa–Mottarone cable car collapse nearby, which killed 14 people.

Source:  local Italian media