Horrifying moment gyrocopter explodes in fireball mid-air after hitting cable car lines in Italy killing two

THIS is the horrifying moment a gyrocopter explodes into a deadly fireball after flying into cable car lines, killing both people on board. Harrowing footage captured the deadly crash at around 11.30am as the aircraft plummeted towards the ground over Piedmont, near the Italian Alps. The gyrocopter plumeting to the ground in a ball of fire Credit: Jam Press The small aircraft flew directly into two cable lines over a dam in the region Credit: Jam Press The gyrocopter – which only seats two – flew into cable car lines over the border of Italy and Switzerland before spinning wildly out out of control. As the pilot wrestled to gain back control, the aircraft exploded and sparked a huge blaze. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! The craft immediately started to plunge down towards a grassy area beside Lake Campliccioli, killing the pilot and his passenger instantly. Firefighters and emergency services, including several helicopters, raced to the scene. Alessandro Angelo Muscinelli had been flying the gyroproctor when he was tragically killed Credit: Jam Press Antonella Pagliarani also lost her life in the horror crash Credit: Jam Press The victims have been named as engineer Alessandro Angelo Muscinelli, 62, and his sister-in-law Antonella Pagliarani, 63, from Milan. Local mayor Franco Borsotti witnessed the horror collision and told local media: “I saw the scene from the balcony of my home: the helicopter was flying, then I saw a fireball. “There is no doubt that it caught fire when it touched the cables of the cableway that leads to Camposecco.” The cables were at least 328ft above the ground, according to Borsotti. Most read in The Sun The craft plunged through the skies in a fiery red ball of flames Credit: Jam Press The site of the crash landing in Piedmont, northern Italy. Credit: Jam Press/Vigili del Fuoco He said: “The cableway has been there for 60 years; it cannot fail to be marked on the maps.” “Normally, aircraft do not fly there, and it appears they did not request permission,” he added. A probe has been launched into the crash, with investigators checking whether the pilot had permission to fly in the area. A friend said that pilot Alessandro Angelo Muscinelli interest in flying was sparked 15 years ago after doing a tandem paragliding flight. The pal, Matteo Gasparini, told reporters that Muscinelli was a “very precise” pilot and passionate about engines. It is not the first aircraft crash over the Italian mountains. In May, a Brit pilot was killed after crashing his plane into a mountain over the Alps during a flying competition. A salami fortune heir perished in February alongside two pilots after a helicopter plunged into the grounds of a medieval Italian castle. And in 2019 five people lost their lives when a tourist plane and a helicopter collided over the alps. Comment now