ROME.- A miracle at the end of the year or, rather, a miraculous landing: this is what Silvia De Bon, pilot did Italian 22-year-old, who last Wednesday, when the engine of his plane began to fail and was about to crash into one of the Dolomite mountains, 2,200 meters high, in northeastern Italy, managed to prevent a tragedy by carrying out an emergency maneuver of the most reckless, but perfect.
In five seconds, realizing that he was about to hit one of the peaks of the Lagarai group of mountains, in the Trentino, The young woman managed to land with her belly Piper PA28, without an engine, gliding, on one of the snowy slopes in the area. A maneuver that left her and her two passengers unharmed – who only suffered minor injuries – and made her rise to fame. Her story with her happy ending, in fact, had enormous repercussions in Italy, where she not only reached the front pages of the newspapers, but also the radio and TV news.
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“I saw the mountain before my eyes and I had to choose whether to turn and crash into one of its lateral flanks or find a way to cushion the blow, landing somewhere. And I did it, ”the girl, with an orthopedic neck and some scratches on her face, told various media from the Trento hospital bed, where she was initially admitted, but from where she has already been discharged.
It all happened last Wednesday when, together with her older brother, Mattia (27) and his girlfriend, Giorgia (28), all from the town of Longarone, Silvia decided to go for a spin in the air to contemplate the beautiful snowy landscape of the Dolomites. They took off from the airport of the city of Belluno with the idea of going through Trento, Bolzano and returning through Cortina. They were enjoying the view when suddenly the engine began to fail and the plane began to lose altitude.
“I was in a canyon, the speed began to decrease and the plane began to go down… So I had two possibilities: colliding with the mountains to the right and to the left, or trying to amortize the crash by landing somewhere and doing so trying to cause as few consequences as possible”, said the young woman. “I saw a place on a slope, it was the only possibility if I didn’t want to crash, So I lifted the plane and tried to make it glide“, accurate.
Silvia, who works in a hotel in Cortina d’Ampezzo and who had returned from the United States in November where she had obtained a second license to fly, admitted that she was lucky.
“I was lucky: from the moment of impact to the instant after, I don’t remember what exactly happened, I have a void. But when I woke up, the left side of my face was covered in blood, because I hit my head against the glass. Later, with my brother and his girlfriend we were able to get out of the plane and he called the emergency number, sending our exact position and I called the Belluno AeroClub, owner of the Piper PA28, notifying what had happened. It was already past four in the afternoon and I had to go back, ”he told the Corriere della Sera. That’s how they came to rescue them.
Asked if she made a correct maneuver, Silvia acknowledged that, strictly speaking, it was wrong because the more she gets up, the more she slows down and the plane falls. “But knowing that I was going against the mountain, I did everything to put the plane parallel to the slope, landing on my belly. If it crashed head-on, it would destroy the front part with worse consequences.”, he explained.
The young pilot only now realizes that she saved everyone’s life. And beyond the fear of a tragedy avoided by a decision in five seconds, she instinctively, with cold blood, she has no doubt that she wants to continue flying, her great passion.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t listen to my father anymore. I always tell him: ‘if all the people who have a car accident stopped driving, no one else would drive.’ It is true that when you are in the air it is different, but the concept is similar. If I have an accident I don’t let myself be scared and I am determined to become an airline pilot, like Ryanair’s,” he said. “At the moment I have an Italian general license and an American one. To be a line pilot I have to continue studying, but I am ready, ”he specified.
The newspaper The Stamp, who published his story on the cover today, recalled the background of the American pilot Chesley Sullenberger, that on January 15, 2009, he managed to land an airliner on the icy waters of the Hudson River, in the heart of New York, after a flock of birds damaged it during takeoff. All 155 people on board managed to save themselves. And in 2016 Tom Hanks played this pilot in the movie sully by Clint Eastwood.
It all happened last Wednesday when, together with her older brother, Mattia (27) and his girlfriend, Giorgia (28), all from the town of Longarone, Silvia decided to go for a spin in the air to contemplate the beautiful snowy landscape of the Dolomites. They took off from the airport of the city of Belluno with the idea of going through Trento, Bolzano and returning through Cortina. They were enjoying the view when suddenly the engine began to fail and the plane began to lose altitude.
“I was in a canyon, the speed began to decrease and the plane began to go down… So I had two possibilities: colliding with the mountains to the right and to the left, or trying to amortize the crash by landing somewhere and doing so trying to cause as few consequences as possible”, said the young woman. “I saw a place on a slope, it was the only possibility if I didn’t want to crash, So I lifted the plane and tried to make it glide“, accurate.
Silvia, who works in a hotel in Cortina d’Ampezzo and who had returned from the United States in November where she had obtained a second license to fly, admitted that she was lucky.
“I was lucky: from the moment of impact to the instant after, I don’t remember what exactly happened, I have a void. But when I woke up, the left side of my face was covered in blood, because I hit my head against the glass. Later, with my brother and his girlfriend we were able to get out of the plane and he called the emergency number, sending our exact position and I called the Belluno AeroClub, owner of the Piper PA28, notifying what had happened. It was already past four in the afternoon and I had to go back, ”he told the Corriere della Sera. That’s how they came to rescue them.
Asked if she made a correct maneuver, Silvia acknowledged that, strictly speaking, it was wrong because the more she gets up, the more she slows down and the plane falls. “But knowing that I was going against the mountain, I did everything to put the plane parallel to the slope, landing on my belly. If it crashed head-on, it would destroy the front part with worse consequences.”, he explained.
The young pilot only now realizes that she saved everyone’s life. And beyond the fear of a tragedy avoided by a decision in five seconds, she instinctively, with cold blood, she has no doubt that she wants to continue flying, her great passion.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t listen to my father anymore. I always tell him: ‘if all the people who have a car accident stopped driving, no one else would drive.’ It is true that when you are in the air it is different, but the concept is similar. If I have an accident I don’t let myself be scared and I am determined to become an airline pilot, like Ryanair’s,” he said. “At the moment I have an Italian general license and an American one. To be a line pilot I have to continue studying, but I am ready, ”he specified.
The newspaper The Stamp, who published his story on the cover today, recalled the background of the American pilot Chesley Sullenberger, that on January 15, 2009, he managed to land an airliner on the icy waters of the Hudson River, in the heart of New York, after a flock of birds damaged it during takeoff. All 155 people on board managed to save themselves. And in 2016 Tom Hanks played this pilot in the movie sully by Clint Eastwood.
Sullenberger was 57 years old and had 38 years of experience. Silvia 22 years and one of experience.
By Elisabetta Pique