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For Giovanni B. * (61) from Odolo near Brescia (I) it is always winter season. Whenever the steel contractor finds time, he sits in his private helicopter and flies freestyle over the peaks and glaciers. “Giovanni did that in all seasons,” recalls a good friend of the industrialist. “He is not only a passionate skier, but also a passionate rider.”
It starts again on Sunday. Giovanni B. and his colleague Alberto C. * († 59) climb into the single-engine Robinson R44 and aim for the Breithorn in Valle d’Aosta. The helicopter lands in the Cime Bianche area. Friends go skiing. They want to fly home around 4 pm But then something goes wrong. Fog? Storm? A technical defect?
Giovanni B. may be attempting an emergency landing at 3,000 meters. But the helicopter crashes. Alberto C. dies on the spot. Giovanni B. miraculously survives. And hold on. There is no one everywhere who can get help. The Valtournenche ski operation has yet to open and will also remain closed due to Corona. The only hope: the emergency signal automatically sent by the helicopter.
Italians call Air Zermatt for help
The signal is captured in the distant Ferrara (I). The alarm is immediately sent to Valle d’Aosta. A laborious search begins, in which the Swiss also participate. Air Zermatt received the emergency call shortly before 8 pm Valais rescuers immediately start with a helicopter and depart on a search flight over the mountain (VIEW reported).
Despite the use of reflectors, night vision and infrared devices, it is difficult to use. Total darkness, wind, and growing fog hamper the search party. Furthermore, the emergency signal transmitted automatically from the crashed machine only provides imprecise data. Support air traffic control continues to obtain new coordinates for the alleged crash site.
Survivor is airlifted to Bern hospital
The helpers spent an hour trying to find their way to the crashed helicopter from the air. The men from the Zermatt rescue station then set off on foot in solidarity with their Italian colleagues. They only have one snowmobile with them. It is already 11:30 pm and the night is completely dark when they finally see the wreckage of the crashed helicopter.
“Completely unexpectedly for everyone involved, a man survived the accident and was rescued from the wreck after approximately seven and a half hours in the snow,” said an Air Zermatt statement on Monday. The rescued person is seriously injured and severely hypothermic. However, Giovanni B. is conscious and able to speak with the men from the mountain rescue service. The Italian is immediately transferred to the hospital in Bern. Meanwhile, a representative from the steel mill announced that Giovanni B. was out of danger.
