Only thanks to the heroism of one of the two deceased pilots did what happened shortly before noon in Guidonia, a center on the outskirts of Rome, not turn into a disaster with many dead, where two aircraft of the 60th Wing of the Air Force, for reasons yet to be ascertained, they collided in the run-up to landing.
Two expert pilots lost their lives: Lieutenant Colonel Giuseppe Cipriano, 47 years old originally from Taranto, instructor with 6000 flight hours to his credit, and Major Marco Meneghello, born in Legnago 45 years ago and also with a long experience with operations across national borders.
The two vehicles crashed within moments. One crashed in a rural area of Collefiorito di Guidonia, the second aircraft, on board which was Meneghello, crashed in via della Margherita, in the heart of the town. In this case the pilot managed to carry out a desperate manoeuvre, precisely to prevent the vehicle from crashing into houses.
“He did something to avoid them, he dodged them – says an eyewitness -. In my opinion, a maneuver to pardon us, because he could have taken the buildings ».
The Tivoli prosecutor's office, as well as the military one, has opened an investigation file on what happened. The crime assumed by the ordinary magistrates is that of a culpable plane crash. The file is against unknown persons and the prosecutors have entrusted the task of the autopsies which will be carried out tomorrow.
«From the first reconstructions it is reasonable to hypothesize - explains the prosecutor Francesco Menditto - that the aircraft that fell on the road was directed there by the pilot to cause the least possible damage to things and people, so much so that the damage was very limited. Otherwise, a precipitation on the buildings on the sides of the road would have caused numerous victims".
According to witnesses, the aircraft piloted by Meneghello "fell vertically, like a knife cut" and the soldier immediately shouted for help but at that moment the vehicle caught fire. «I approached and tried to do something but it was impossible because of the flames – says a boy -. The plane fell like a dead leaf. Luckily it ended up on the road and not against a house. It could have been an even worse tragedy."
The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, sent the Chief of Defense Staff, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, a message of condolence and "solidarity and intense participation in the pain of the relatives". The Senate floor remembered the two victims with applause while a minute of silence was observed in the House . The defense minister, Guido Crosetto, expressed condolences and "the closeness of the whole defense family".
(Unioneonline/D)
