The track of the civil helicopter Augusta Westland 109, which took off from Venice, was lost while flying over the border between Tuscany and Marche. The alarm sounded just before 5 p.m., when the crew reported a failure, after which radio contact was lost.
Based on initial information, the helicopter was on its way back from Venice to Sansepolcro (Arezzo) carrying an Arezzo businessman in the goldsmithing sector. When it disappeared from radar, the plane was flying over the border area between the provinces of Pesaro-Urbino and Arezzo, where fog was recorded. The helicopter then crashed in a forest area located on the border between Tuscany and Marche, between the municipality of Badia Tedalda (Arezzo) and the municipality of Borgo Pace in Marche.
In Arezzo, the South-Eastern Regional Health Authority of Tuscany has activated the maximum emergency group with the Disaster Manager, who is coordinating rescue operations together with the operating rooms of the neighboring region. The search involved firefighters, carabinieri, mountain rescue and speleology, as well as Air Force vehicles. Several ambulances were alerted.
Research was concentrated in an area of about 20 kilometers between Tuscany and Marche, especially in the Alpe della Luna, between Badia Tedalda and Borgo di Pace, and in the Parchiule forest, near Pesaro and Urbino. Aircraft equipped with infrared systems flew over the area, but poor weather conditions and reduced visibility made operations difficult.
