THREE people have died after a helicopter crashed into the grounds of a medieval castle in Italy – including the heir to a salami fortune and both pilots.
CEO of the Rovagnati cured meats empire Lorenzo Rovagnati, 42, died in the horror incident, alongside two pilots who have been named in Italian media as Flavio Massa, 59, and Leonardo Italiani, 30.
ROPIThree people have died after a helicopter crashed into the grounds of a medieval castle in Italy[/caption]
Lorenzo Rovagnati, 42, died in the tragic incident
WikipediaThe chopper plunged into the grounds of Castelguelfo di Noceto which is owned by the Rovagnati family[/caption]
The chopper plunged into the grounds of Castelguelfo di Noceto – which is owned by the Rovagnati family – on Wednesday evening just a few miles west of Parma in northern Italy.
Rovagnati is renowned for its Gran Biscotto cooked prosciutto, but it also makes salamis, mortadellas along with other processed meats.
Lorenzo was married and a father of two children with a third on the way, Corriere Di Bologna reports.
The late heir ran the salami empire with his brother Ferrucio.
Unconfirmed reports claim one of the helicopter pilots tried to take off shortly before the crash happened.
The chopper is said to have been an AugustaWestland A109.
Officials from the Parma public prosecutor’s office have seized the flight recorder and are determining whether the crash could have occurred due to technical or human error.
Poor visibility due to dense fog and darkness could have played a role in the accident, according to Italian media.
Shocking footage taken from the tragic crash site shows emergency workers close to the remnants of the chopper as they carry out an investigation on the area.
Thick fog was also seen covering the grounds of the gargantuan castle estate.
An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash.
It comes after two planes collided on tarmac just a week after a deadly midair crash in Washington DC that killed 67.
On Wednesday just after 10 am, a Japan Airlines aircraft reportedly rammed the back of a Delta Airlines plane on the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport taxi lane.
No one was injured in the collision, but more than 100 passengers had to get off their plane and head back to the airport.
Jason Chan, one of the passengers on the Delta flight, said the plane jiggled back and forth and shook a little bit when the collision occurred.
Shortly after, the captain announced that the plane’s tail had been hit.
Chan said that passengers had remained calm and eventually left the plane to be bused back to the terminal.
He added the whole incident seemed surreal, but that he and the six friends he was traveling with were making the most of it while waiting in the lounge for their rescheduled flight.
The crash site is currently being investigated in northern Italy Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
