Overview
- Sandro Veronesi, 67, survived a single‑engine crash near Labastide‑Villefranche in France after the aircraft went down on April 24.
- The pilots activated a ballistic emergency parachute, a rocket‑fired system that pulls out a large canopy to slow the entire plane.
- A Bayonne gendarmerie training patrol saw the aircraft losing altitude and guided rescuers to the site within minutes.
- The plane hit nose‑first into mud and the parachute snagged on power lines, yet Veronesi and a 56‑year‑old Italian companion were found outside the cockpit and taken to hospital for severe back pain.
- Reports published April 30 identify Veronesi, the Oniverse/Calzedonia president, and note no detailed cause has been released, underscoring how parachutes and rapid spotting can reduce casualties in light‑aircraft failures.