Tragedy yesterday evening in the skies of Friuli. A ultralight crashed in the upper Val Torre in the province of Udine, causing the death of two people.
One of the two charred dead victims is the Air Force Captain Alessio Ghersi, 34 years old from Domodossola, pilot of the Frecce Tricolori since 2018. Pony 5 was the code name with which it flew over the skies of Italy with the National Acrobatic Patrol, filling the eyes of young and old with wonder. The second victim of the accident is Sante Ciaccia, a 35-year-old relative of Ghersi’s wife.
The accident took place around 18.30 on Saturday, when some witnesses saw the aircraft crash, enveloped in a cloud of smoke released after a flame. The ultralight, a Pioneer 300 brand I-8548, had taken off from Campoformido shortly before. According to what has been learned, Ghersi and Ciaccia they were doing an evening flyover a few minutes to admire the mountain landscape.
The Italian Air Force has canceled the traditional May Day event in Rivolto (Udine). The Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Force General Luca Goretti, “on behalf of the entire Armed Forces, clings to his wife and their two children in this moment of profound pain”.
Captain Ghersi, only two weeks ago, had participated in thespecial training of the Frecce Tricolori at the Ghedi military base. An event that had attracted thousands of people.