A scene straight out of an action movie: On Monte Rosa in the Valais Alps, a microlight aircraft narrowly misses a group of ski tourers at over 4.000 meters. Eyewitnesses describe it as a near-disaster on the second-highest peak in the Alps.
Last Saturday afternoon, ski tourers on the glacier of the Monte Rosa A narrow escape from disaster: A microlight aircraft belonging to a Swiss aero club landed just below the Colle Sesia, turned around and, when taking off again, narrowly missed a group of participants in the Trofeo Mezzalama, the highest alpine ski touring race in the world.
Near-collision at over 4.000 meters
The aircraft, a Piper PA-18 Super Cub, was on its way to Geneva – according to initial media reports, piloted by a hobby pilot who, with his stopover on the 4.634-meter-high Monte Rosa massif, was in the Valais Alps probably allowed some life-threatening fun.
Mezzalama participant and alpinist Luca Calzone filmed the incident on Saturday afternoon, when more than a thousand people were on the Glacier were on the move – including below Colle Sesia, where the aircraft missed a group of people by a few meters at 4.230 meters. In the video, in addition to shocked exclamations, one participant can be heard describing the pilot's maneuver as "criminal."
“Risk of a huge tragedy”: serious allegations against pilots
The video of the incident went viral on Instagram – as did Calzone's serious accusations against the pilot: The Italian alpinist called the action "pure madness" and now hopes for a swift response from the responsible Swiss authorities. After the descent, Calzone made his video footage available for the investigation, which has since begun.
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Credits cover photo: Luca Calzone