The moment a light aircraft suddenly plummeted vertically down and exploded on a busy highway can be seen in startling footage – two people died in the crash in Brescia, Italy
Horror footage shows the moment a plane crashed into a busy road and exploded in a fireball. Two people died in the crash on Tuesday, which saw a light aircraft plough nose-first into the ground in Brescia province, Italy.
In chilling footage, the plane can be seen rapidly falling to the ground in a steep descent. Miraculously, the aircraft managed to miss all of the cars and other vehicles on the Corda Molle at the time. One car could be seen driving straight through the fireball that spread across the road when the plane hit the ground.
Another car also drove through the flames, but neither vehicle lost control. Two motorists were injured with non-life-threatening injuries.
Officials investigating the incident involving the “ultralight” plane have said it will be difficult to determine what caused the crash. The lack of rules for this type of plane meant it did not have to declare its destination when it took off. Investigators will look into if there is a gap in the regulations that meant certain procedures did not have to be followed before the plane embarked on its final journey.
Two people onboard the aircraft, a 75-year-old lawyer from Milan named Sergio Ravaglia and his female partner Anna Maria De Stefano, 50, are reported to have died.
The crash occurred after midday on Tuesday after taking off from the Gagnano Trebbiense runway in the Piacenza region, Italian broadcasting channel Sky TG24 said.
Traffic on the motorway was immediately suspended in both directions for several hours. Fire crews rushed quickly to the scene and were able to extinguish the fire and secure the area. An investigation into the crash is now underway.
Eyewitness Enzo Bregoli said they saw the plane flying low, but it did not seem to be in any sort of trouble. According to a translation of their comments to Corriere della Sera, they said: “Suddenly, the pilot seemed to lose control: the ultralight spun around and fell straight down onto the road, nose-first. If he had just tried to turn, it could have hit me. The moment the aircraft touched the asphalt, it immediately caught fire.”
Mr Bregoli said he was “worried” and was around 50 metres behind the plane. He said he crossed into an emergency lane to get away from the fire.
Cladio Nolli, 49, was also driving nearby. She said she had entered a ring road close to the crash when flames suddenly erupted in her eye line.
“I entered the ring road and saw a burst of flame, without understanding what had happened,” she said. “I had a truck in front of me and I crashed into it, passing through the flames. Then there was a loud bang, it was a ball of fire.”
She added: “I never thought something like this could happen to me. At the time, I assumed the truck in front of me had lost something; I had no idea it was a plane. I had seen it in the air before, but I realized later. For twenty seconds, it missed me too.”