This afternoon, the funeral of the pilot involved in the tragic plane crash of 13 December was held in the Cathedral of San Lorenzo in Trapani.
In the early afternoon, at the Cathedral of San Lorenzo in Trapani, the final farewell was held for Captain Fabio Antonio Altruda, the pilot officer serving with the 37th Wing of Trapani Birgi, who tragically died in the plane crash that occurred on Tuesday 13 December near the Sicilian airbase while returning from a training mission.
The funeral service, officiated by the Bishop of Trapani, H.E. Monsignor Pietro Maria Fragnelli, was attended by the Vice-President of the Chamber of Deputies, Giorgio Mulè, the Minister of Defence, Guido Crosetto, the President of the Sicilian Region, Renato Schifani, the Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, and civil, military, and religious authorities from the city of Trapani and the Sicilian territory. They joined the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Air Force General Luca Goretti, and the family in bidding a final farewell to the young pilot.
Many colleagues and friends were present at the funeral, who, along with numerous citizens, filled the cathedral to pay their final respects to the officer.
The celebration began with the reading, by the Episcopal Vicar for the Air Force, Monsignor Antonio Coppola, of the message sent by the Military Ordinary Archbishop for Italy, Monsignor Santo Marcianò, who, in a touching passage, recalled that “It is the life of a young man, for whom I pray today and we pray, who had dreams and hopes for the future before him. It is the life of a competent and dedicated serviceman, who gave so much and could still have given so much to our country.”.
After expressing heartfelt words of closeness and emotion towards the family and all the colleagues and friends of Captain Altruda, the Bishop of Trapani, H.E. Mons. Pietro Maria Fragnelli, said during the homily: “We are today in silence, in disbelief, at the unexpected end of our brother, the pilot Fabio Antonio Altruda: death claimed him in the skies and on the earth of our Trapani world. We feel him very close to us in this passage. […] It is a closeness that translates into mutual belonging. For this reason, we can say that the young pilot belongs to us: he to us and all of us to him. A belonging that death does not destroy, but rather confirms forever.”. Addressing Captain Altruda ideally, Bishop Fragnelli added “We return you to the earth like a grain of wheat, which, in death itself, becomes fertile. It is a harsh, terrible parting. We never would have wished to live this day, never would have wished to speak to you without receiving a sign of response from you. But your whole life is a response, perhaps even a question: what can and must humanity do to live its days in peace? You seem to answer us with the values that inspired your life and that continue to warm this community.”
Finally, the young officer's mother also wished to give her testimony, remembering her son and the key moments of his military career, which, thanks to his great humility, determination, dedication, and passion, led him to achieve his big dream: to become an Italian Air Force Eurofighter pilot.
To further commemorate the memory of the young pilot, whose passing has left a deep sorrow not only among colleagues and friends but also throughout the population, a further ceremony will be held tomorrow, Sunday 18 December, at the municipality of Cardito, in the province of Naples, where the officer's parents and younger brother live.
It is premature to speculate on the causes of the accident, and both the Public Prosecutor's Office of Trapani and the Air Force have launched the foreseen investigations to collect and analyse the data and information necessary to establish the dynamics of the tragic event.
