Record-Setting Pilot Killed In Pattern Crash

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He soared over Mt. Everest in a hang glider, crossed the Mediterranean in one and set myriad aviation records, but died in what appears to be the most ironic circumstances at an air show in Italy. Angelo D’Arrigo, also known as the Human Condor, was the passenger in a Sky Arrow 650 TNT that crashed on approach, according to witnesses, and dove into an olive grove beside the airport at Comiso. The plane was flown by retired Italian Air Force Gen. Giulio De Marchis, described as an experienced pilot. Sky Arrow spokeswoman Arabella Bortolotti said the accident shocked those who knew the victims. “It’s mind boggling to think that two of Italy’s best pilots were aboard,” she told ANSA.it. Arrigo was well-known in his native Italy for some amazing hang gliding records. He held the altitude record and distance records, including a 1,830-km nonstop flight and a flight from Italy to Cairo. He hang-glided over Everest, Mt. Aconcagua, the highest mountain in South America, and Mt. Etna, the tallest volcano in Europe. He was planning a flight over Mt. Wilson, in Antarctica.

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