Stunt pilot killed after terrifying collision during air show in Italy

One pilot was killed and another had to be pulled from his plane after a stunt went wrong during the Alba Adriatica airshow in eastern Italy. Marco Ricci and Luigi Franceschetti, two members of the QBR "Goodfellas" air acrobatics team, were performing a well-practiced maneuver when one of their aircraft lost altitude and collided with the other, causing both of them to plummet into the water in front of the Tortoreto beach.

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Beachgoers and flying enthusiasts – including Ricci's 16-year-old son – stood on the sand, watching in horror as the planes crashed into the Adriatic Sea. A group of men immediately raced to one of the aircraft, attempting to right it and to pull Franceschetti from the wreckage. Ricci's plane immediately sunk farther offshore; his body was later recovered by divers. One witness told a local news agency:

We saw two planes flying at low altitude and not very fast. When they clashed we heard a bang and within seconds they had fallen into the sea, not far from the shoreline.

According to Italy's La Repubblica newspaper, Franceschetti was taken to a local hospital but somehow made it through the collision and subsequent crash without any broken bones or serious injuries. He was informed of Ricci's death, but did not comment.

The Flight Safety Agency (ANSV) of Italy has opened an investigation into the crash. The cause of the collision is under investigation, but according to witnesses, it appeared to them that one plane lost power or suffered some kind of engine malfunction. Making a tragic situation even worse – and decidedly more unusual –  prosecutor Stefano Giovagnoni announced that Franceschetti could be charged with manslaughter in his longtime teammate's death.

The remaining events of the air show were immediately canceled.

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