Four Die in Italian Helicopter Crash
What: dell’eliambulanza medical emergency service helicopter
Where: Mount Cristallo/ Mount Faloria near Cortina d’Ampezzo Ski Resort
When: Saturday, 22nd August 2009
Who: 4 people on board: two engineers (co-pilot Marco Zago and Stefano da Forno), a doctor (Spaziani Fabrizio) and the pilot (Dario De Felipe)
Why: The helicopter appeared to have hit a high voltage cable while flying in bad weather. The helicopter was in the process of responding to landslide near Rio Gere, towards Passo Tre Croci. Continued bad weather hampered recovery efforts.
This would have been Zago’s last mission before transferring to another job.
The remains have been recovered, however, and were taken to the hospitap mortuary in Cortina Codivilla. This hazardous area frequently requires mountain rescue services.