A Finmeccanica-AgustaWestland AW609 tiltrotor prototype crashed in the morning of friday 30th october in northern Italy. Both the pilots died in the accident: they were Pietro Venanzi, chief test pilot of the AW609 program and Herb Moran.
The aircraft, according to the first official news, crashed in a corn field in Santhià in Tronzano, in the province of Vercelli. The aircraft caught fire.
The AW609 tiltrotor (N609AG) according to the locals, was conducting maneuvers in the area for several days. The aircraft, an hybrid between helicopter and aircraft, fell in a suburban area.
Finmeccanica-AgustaWestland confirms the loss of one prototype AW609 tiltrotor and the tragic loss of two pilots (1/2)
— AgustaWestland (@AgustaWestland) 30 Ottobre 2015
THE AW609 CRASH IN ITALY
Some witnesses reported having heard a roar before the crash, followed by falling debris. According to witnesses the AW609 have caught fire during the flight: ANSV, the Italian air-accident investigation agency has dispatched a team to the crash site.
Here are some exclusive photos of the accident taken by mr Andrea Sereni:
"We now have the news that one of our prototype under test has crashed, we are waiting for more news." So the CEO of Finmeccanica, Mauro Moretti, opened the meeting of the group held today at the Expo in Milan. "Two pilots are dead, it is a very painful thing, I ask for a moment of silence." Finmeccanica-AgustaWestland, in a statement, "confirms the loss of a prototype AW609 and the tragic death of two pilots. The company's deepest sympathies are with the families. The Company is working with relevant authorities to determine the cause of the accident".
The AW609 crashed in Vercelli was one of two flying prototypes tiltrotor and had logged more than 1,000 flight hours. The only other prototype is based in Arlington, Texas, awaiting the arrival of two more aircraft that will help finishing the certification test, scheduled for 2017.
THE TWO PILOTS: PIETRO VENANZI AND HERB MORAN
With the AW609 disaster in Vercelli, AgustaWestland and the entire industry lose two great professionals. At the controls of the aircraft was Cpt. Pietro Venanzi, one of the "fathers" of the AW609 program (of which he was chief test pilot) and among the most decorated experimental pilots, a professional widly recognized in the world.
In 2014 he won the "Iven Kicheloe" award for his work in the AW609 program.
At his side was also Cpt Herb Moran, from the United States and also a experienced pilot. Employed for 13 years in the Marine Corps, Moran was an experimental pilot for AgustaWestland in 2011.
The pilots, according to preliminary evidence, succeeded in a final attempt to bring the aircraft out of the town. "It was flying low over the houses and was in flames. The pilot did well to take the aircraft up on the fields of corn. If it fell in the city, would have been a massacre," told the some students, eyewitnesses of the incident, to the local press.
THE AGUSTAWESTLAND AW609 TILTROTOR
The AW609 combines, in a single aircraft, the advantages of a helicopter and those of a fixed wing aircraft. It can take off and land vertically, fly in adverse weather conditions and carry up to nine passengers at a speed and with a range of more than double that of an helicopter.
The tiltrotor was born of a partnership between Bell and AgustaWestland, only later (in 2009), the Anglo-Italian company took over full ownership and renamed AW609. The aircraft is expected to receive the FAA and EASA certifications in 2017, only to be marketed for air transport operations, civilian, government and parapublic.