Maurizio Primavera, 48, died when his aircraft crashed into a closed restaurant in Cirò Marina, a coastal town in southern Italy.
His 59-year-old passenger, Claudio Rende, is in a serious condition in hospital, Tgcom24 reported.
The pair had been flying over the town to drop flyers announcing the birthday of a local person, when the aircraft rapidly lost altitude.
It was spotted changing direction towards to the sea, but crashed before Primavera could make a safe landing.
The pilot was also a qualified flying instructor and flew across the region, Tgcom24 said.
An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the crash, which happened in good weather conditions.
Please whitelist us to continue reading.
Member comments