Two people died and three were injured when a jump plane crashed shortly after take-off.
A Cessna 182 carrying four skydivers crashed in Italy, near Pontinia, after taking off from Skydive The Drop Roma Latina. The wreck caught fire soon afterwards. Emergency services were quickly at the scene, put out the fire, and took the injured pilot and parachutists to hospital.
The pilot, Antonio Belcastro, and one of the skydivers, Umberto Bersani, subsequently died from their injuries. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and friends. Antonio was a very experienced and well respected pilot. Umberto was a much-loved parachutist over 70, passionate about accuracy. Their passing leaves a void in the Italian skydiving community.
Two of the jumpers are still recovering in hospital but are not considered critical. One has been released and is recovering at home.
The cause of the crash, on Sunday 3 September, is not known. Early reports suggested the plane may have hit a power line but others refute this, suggesting it was an aircraft issue. An investigation into the crash by Italy’s National Flight Safety Agency has begun.
