Still completely missing from ASN.
On Sunday 15th, a (rather rare) P68R took off from Aviosuperficie Castel Volturno (just northwest of Naples), with a 20-minute flightplan, on a local test flight, and then disappeared. Even four days later, nothing has ever been found in the Gulf of Naples.
The guy was 74 years old, a famous sailor and also a very experienced pilot. He was the owner of the airstrip and owner of the aircraft.
The aircraft might be this one (I-VICR), but not sure.
Two weeks later, absolutely nothing has been seen again of this aircraft and its pilot.
Some details (messages to his daughter) hint towards a possible suicide, or trying to escape unseen from his previous life. The latter is very unlikely. In Europe, one cannot just escape to somewhere else on the globe and not be found/spotted. But we might only know half the facts here. Why are there apparently no traces of primary radar? Possibly he flew VERY low.
In any case, the event makes the future of the Castel Volturno / Delta Club Napoli airfield (one of very few aviosuperfici in Naples region) seem insecure.
The event has since been added on ASN. AC reg is confirmed.
The Gulf of Gaeta is rather deep, so no public institution will conduct further searches for now.
Interesting reg.
Partenavias seem to feature in the weirdest of disappearances, like this one.
I think you can escape but you need lots of organisation, plus enough money (millions) to live somewhere else nicely without having to interact with the local tax system. But it depends on how hard somebody tries to find you. I saw a programme on that a while ago.
With no radar trace, no way to find wreckage.
boscomantico wrote:
Some details (messages to his daughter) hint towards a possible suicide
Years ago there was one pilot who flew out west on the Atlantic in an ultralight. Authorities suspected he did crash a bit out after disappearing from primar radar. But later satellite data from his satellite device showed he went out something like 500NM. I remember it took several months until part of the wreckage was washed back on the French west coast. So such cases exist…
Very strange. AFAIK there’s a lot of military presence in that area which makes the lack of primary radar astonishing, to say the least. A P68 isn’t exactly a tiny rag and tube airplane.
As for disappearing. I think you can, but you need to lay the groundwork well in advance (foreign passport, different name) and have significant funds. In any case, not likely here, where would he have landed?
