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Italy yanks license of helicopter pilot at mafia funeral

Pallbearers carry the coffin of Vittorio Casamonica, identified by officials as one of the bosses of the Casamonica clan, next to a horse-drawn carriage, during the funeral ceremony in Rome, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015.Romans aghast at a spiraling mafia probe have found new reason for alarm with the Hollywood-style funeral of a purported crime boss, replete with gilded horse-drawn carriage, flower petals tossed from a helicopter and the theme music from "The Godfather." (Massimo Percossi/ANSA via AP) Pallbearers carry the coffin of Vittorio Casamonica, identified by officials as one of the bosses of the Casamonica clan, next to a horse-drawn carriage, during the funeral ceremony in Rome, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2015.Romans aghast at a spiraling mafia probe have found new reason for alarm with the Hollywood-style funeral of a purported crime boss, replete with gilded horse-drawn carriage, flower petals tossed from a helicopter and the theme music from "The Godfather." (Massimo Percossi/ANSA via AP)

By Associated Press August 21, 2015 1 min read

ROME (AP) – Italy’s civil aviation authority has suspended the license of the helicopter pilot who flew low over Rome to drop flower petals during the over-the-top funeral of a purported local crime boss that has outraged city residents.

In addition to the flower petals, the funeral Thursday of Vittorio Casamonica featured a gilded, horse-drawn carriage carrying the casket and a band playing the theme music from “The Godfather” outside the Rome church.

Civil aviation authority ENAC said in a statement Friday it was suspending the license of the pilot as a precaution, given that single-engine helicopters are prohibited from flying over the capital. ENAC said the helicopter flew below the 1,000-foot (330-meter) limit and violated regulations by tossing objects – flower petals – out of its hold without authorization.