ROME 

Three people were killed in a helicopter crash Wednesday near the city of Parma in northern Italy, according to media reports.

The crash is believed to have been caused by pilot error from heavy fog or a mechanical failure in the tail rotor.

The victims included two pilots and Lorenzo Rovagnati, the head of Rovagnati, an Italian company that produces a variety of cured meats.

Italy's civil aviation authority has launched an investigation, and the Parma Public Prosecutor's Office has ordered the examination of the helicopter’s black box.