Two lawyers missing as plane mysteriously vanishes mid-flight moments after passenger sent her family photo from the air

TWO lawyers have vanished while flying an ultralight plane over a volcanic island in Sicily, sparking a major search mission. Rescuers believe Angela Buccico, 56, and Carlo Arnulfo, 64, likely crashed somewhere in the southern Italian mountains shortly after take-off. Acclaimed Italian lawyer Carlo Arnulfo, 64, is missing after a plane he was flying disappeared over southern Italy Credit: Jam Press He and lawyer Angela Buccico vanished shortly after take-off on Sunday Credit: Jam Press They set off from an airfield in Capo d’Orlando, Sicily on Sunday morning and were due to land on the Italian mainland around 90 minutes later. Angela sent her family a picture of Stromboli, a famous volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, at around 10.30am. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! It is believed to be one of the pair’s last known messages. The alarm was raised when they failed to reach Sibari airfield in Cassano allo Ionio, a small town around 40 miles from Cosenza. Rescue crews are scouring the mountains and coast where they are believed to have disappeared Credit: Jam Press Search teams believe they most likely crashed somewhere in the Aspromonte mountains Credit: Jam Press Mario Varca, president of Sibari Fly and manager of the airstrip, said the aircraft should then have continued towards the Calabrian Tyrrhenian coast. He said: “Crossing over Cosenza at an altitude of around 4,000 feet, they would have reached Sibari. But it never arrived.” The plane’s transponder is no longer transmitting a signal, suggesting it may have either been switched off or malfunctioned. There also appears to have been no precise flight plan, which is not mandatory for such a small ultralight aircraft. Most read in The Sun Carlo is a veteran pilot with 30 years experience Credit: Jam Press The ultralight aircraft the pair were flying in Credit: Jam Press As a result, rescuers have little information about the plane’s exact whereabouts. A major search operation is now scouring the Tyrrhenian Sea off Cosenza, as well as the rugged terrain of Calabria’s Pollino area. Search teams reportedly believe the most likely scenario is that the aircraft crashed somewhere in the Aspromonte mountains. However, emergency services have received no reports of an accident. Carlo, who was piloting the small aircraft, has spent 30 years practising in Rome’s courts. He is a highly regarded criminal and civil lawyer and he counts celebrities and politicians among his clients. Rome-based lawyer Andrea Manasse, who trained under Carlo for several years, told local media: “Carlo is extremely experienced, he has been a pilot for 30 years. “For now, I refuse to speak about him in the past tense. “He is one of the most extraordinary legal minds in Italy, a genius. He helped me enormously throughout my life; I consider him like a father. “His son Manfredi is rushing back from his holiday. We all hope it isn’t true.” Angela’s brother, Rocco Buccico, added: “It’s a difficult time, but we are putting our faith in the search operation.” Comment now