Brescia, Italy: A private ultralight aircraft nosedived onto the A21 motorway near Azzano Mella in northern Italy on Tuesday, killing both people on board and injuring two motorists in a fiery crash captured on CCTV.
The Pro.Mecc Freccia RG aircraft, a two‑seat carbon‑fiber ultralight, plunged onto the highway around midday, striking the road surface and erupting into flames. Dashcam videos from passing vehicles show the aircraft descending in freefall before exploding on impact, forcing cars to swerve through fire and debris.
Firefighters and paramedics arrived within minutes, extinguishing the flames and treating the injured. Two drivers sustained non‑life‑threatening injuries, while several others escaped unharmed despite driving through the burning wreckage.
The victims in the aircraft have been identified as 75‑year‑old Milan lawyer Sergio Ravaglia and his 60‑year‑old partner Anna Maria De Stefano. They had departed from a small airfield near Piacenza for what was described as a leisure flight. Authorities temporarily closed both directions of the motorway as emergency teams secured the crash site and removed wreckage.
Brescia’s public prosecutor has opened a manslaughter investigation to determine the cause of the crash. Italy’s National Agency for Flight Safety (ANSV) has deployed an accredited investigator to examine technical records, maintenance logs, and the aircraft’s wreckage. Investigators are focusing on possible mechanical failure or pilot incapacitation, though no official cause has been determined.
