Rome-Fiumicino-Leonardo da Vinci

Uganda Airlines flight 775, a Boeing 707-338C, took off from London-Gatwick Airport, United Kingdom, at 2110LT on a flight to Rome-Fiumicino Airport, Italy and Entebbe, Uganda. During the descent to Rome, clearance was received for a descent to 4,000 feet in preparation for an ILS approach to runway 16L. Visibility was deteriorating with RVR values of 400 meters (point Alfa), 1,000 meters (point Bravo) and 350 meters (point Charlie). A missed approach procedure was carried out at 0005. A second approach was attempted, this time to runway 25. This was also abandoned due to poor visibility. RVR values for runway 34L (1,600 m, 2,000 m and 150 meters respectively. At Alfa, Bravo and Charlie made the crew request radar vectoring to runway 34L. The aircraft was established on the localizer at 0028. The aircraft continued to descend below the 420 feet MDA, although the runway visual markings hadn't been located. Because the flight crew failed to use the altitude callouts, the GPWS sounded unexpectedly. The right wing collided with the roof of a car rental agency located 1,300 meters short of the runway, 100 meters to the right of the extended centreline. The aircraft continued and crashed 500 meters further, bursting into flames. 33 occupants were killed, among them all seven crew members, while 19 passengers were injured.

Boeing 727-256 EC-CFJ of Iberia, operating scheduled flight IB350 to Rome, and DC-9-32 EC-CGS of Aviaco, operating schedule AO134 to Santander, crashed on runway 01/19 at Madrid-Barajas Airport. The Boeing 727 had been cleared for takeoff on runway 01 and was at V1 speed. The DC-9 had been cleared to proceed to the holding point at runway 01 through the outer taxiway. The accident occurred approximately at 09h39:29 on December 7, 1983. As a result of the impact and instant fire, the DC-9 aircraft was totally destroyed, dying the whole of its occupants, 5 crew members and 37 passengers. The Boeing 727 aircraft lost almost all of its left wing and main gear of the same side, sliding on the runway about 460 meters, until its final stop, remaining facing the opposite direction of takeoff, on the left edge of runway 01. As a result of the impact and of the spilling of fuel from the left wing, there was an almost instant fire at the time o the crash, which subsequently destroyed the aircraft. 34 passengers and 8 crew members out of the 84 passengers and 9 crew members, survived. 50 passengers and one assistance crew member died as a result of the impact and fire. The conditions of visibility at the airport were of daylight and intense fog.

Following an uneventful flight from Rome-Fiumicino, the crew started the descent to Palermo-Punta Raisi Airport by night and good visibility (up to 10 km). Following a 'normal' VOR/DME approach, the crew continued the descent down to 150 feet over the sea when, at 3 km from the shore, the pilot-in-command (the copilot in this case) initiated a slight turn to the left to join runway 21. At a speed of 150 knots, the left wing tip struck the water surface and the aircraft crashed into the sea. All five crew members and 103 passengers were killed while 21 others were rescued by fishermen.

The crew was completing a cargo flight from Rome to Addis Ababa with an intermediate stop in Asmara. After a night takeoff from runway 25 at Rome-Fiumicino-Leonardo da Vinci Airport, the airplane encountered difficulties to climb. At a height of about 7-8 meters, it struck tree tops then stalled and crashed in flames in a wooded area located 280 meters past the runway end. The aircraft was totally destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all five occupants (three crew members and two security agents) were killed.

The four engine airplane departed Athens-Ellinikon Airport at 1112LT on a flight to Rome, last leg before the transatlantic flight to New York. While cruising at an altitude of 28,000 feet, the airplane went out of control, entered a steep dive and crashed into the Ionian Sea bout 80 km west of Kefalonia Island, Greece. Some debris were found floating on water and no survivor was found among the 88 occupants.

While parked at Rome-Fiumicino-Leonardo da Vinci Airport and ready for departure, the aircraft was attacked by six members from a Palestinian terrorist group. Shots burst with police forces and several grenades detonated, causing the aircraft to catch fire. 15 occupants were seriously injured while 129 others were unhurt. Unfortunately, 33 passengers were killed during this terrorist attack.

Following an uneventful flight from Rome-Fiumicino Airport, the crew started the approach to Palermo-Punta Raisi by night. The four engine airplane was too low and struck the slope of Mt Longa (600 meters high) located 7 km south of the airport, west of the village of Carini. It was determined that the aircraft struck the mountain just few meters below its summit and disintegrated on impact. All 115 occupants have been killed. At the time of the accident, the visibility was limited to 5 km with clouds down to 1,500 feet.

East African Airways Flight EC-720 to London via Addis Ababa and Rome departed Nairobi at 06:55 hours. The flight to Addis Ababa was uneventful and the VC10 landed there at 08:23. During the transit stop at Addis Ababa, some freight was off-loaded together with 40 passengers. Fifteen passengers joined the flight and the airplane was refueled. Start up clearance was given at 09:21 hours and the aircraft taxied out six minutes later via the eastern taxiway for takeoff on runway 07. The tower advised the aircraft that the wind was 5 knots and variable in direction. At 09:32 hours, as the aircraft was backtracking to the takeoff point, the pilot reported a number of dead birds on the runway. He requested that these birds be removed before the aircraft took off. A fire truck was dispatched to take care of this. The aircraft continued to backtrack down the runway and turned in the pad at the end. It then lined up on the runway and stopped a short distance from the threshold. At 09:38:40 hours, the tower cleared the aircraft for takeoff. Shortly after the aircraft had passed the mid-point of the runway, at or just below the V1 speed, the nose wheel ran over a steel jacking pad. This jacking pad belonged to a Cessna 185 that had departed 4:40 earlier. The pad punctured the right hand nose wheel tire. A loud bang was heard and severe vibration was felt on the flight deck. Almost immediately after the nose wheel tire had burst, the nose of the aircraft rose momentarily and then come down. The flight crew decided to abort the takeoff. The engines were throttled back and reverse thrust was selected. The aircraft continued down the runway, veering slightly to the right. Then the no.1 rear main tire burst. Just before the aircraft reached the end of the runway, it veered slightly to the left and ran approximately parallel to the centre line. After crossing a storm drain located at the end of the runway at right angles to the centre line, the aircraft became momentarily airborne as it left the lip of the embankment on which the 60 m stopway was laid. As it did so, the left outer wing of the aircraft struck a steel lattice tower forming part of the approach lighting system to runway 25. This ruptured the no. 1A fuel tank and the released fuel promptly ignited. Sixty meters beyond the end of the runway the aircraft fell heavily on to the lower ground 10.6 m below the runway level. It broke up immediately on impact and after sliding a short distance, came to rest and caught fire.

Alitalia Flight 618 departed Rome at 10:22 local time for a non-stop flight to New York. The en route and descent were normal. After having descended to 6000 feet, the crew listed to the ATIS: "The seventeen hundred zulu weather Kennedy six hundred scattered measured ceiling eight hundred overcast four miles fog the winds are two one zero degrees at three and the altimeter three zero one five temperature seventy three expect ILS four right approach landing runway four right. Notice to Airmen glide slope out of service.". About this point in the flight, the first officer, at the request of the captain, took over the flight controls. He disengaged the autopilot and proceeded to comply with the various vectors provided by the approach controller. At 13:07 the controller instructed the flight to increase airspeed from 210 knots to 250 knots. Five minutes later the flight was instructed to reduce the speed to 200 knots. At 13:18:05, the flight was advised, "Alitalia six eighteen you’re three and a half from the marker, turn right zero two zero, cleared ILS four right approach." The DC-8 broke through the clouds at about 600 feet. The runway was in sight, but the plane appeared to be high and slightly on the right. The captain decided to perform a steep approach and took over the controls. He put the four engines at idle-reverse, then selected reverse thrust on Nos. 2 and 3 engines, deciding to select forward thrust when on the proper slope. too busy in rotating the aircraft, the captain could not leave the controls to regain forward thrust. The plane touched down very hard started to yaw to the left. It ground looped and came to rest with the fuselage split open aft of the wing and three out of four engines separated.

During the takeoff roll, the engine n°1 exploded. Some debris fall on the ground, bounced and struck the wing, causing the rupture of the n°2 fuel tank. The crew started an emergency braking procedure and the airplane came to a stop in flames. All 65 occupants were quickly disembarked, 23 of them were injured. The aircraft was destroyed by fire.