Torino

While cruising in poor weather conditions, the airplane struck Mt Argentera (3,297 meters high) located in the Italian Alps. The wreckage was found a week later, on March 22 on the west slope of the mountain. The airplane was destroyed and all six crew members have been killed. It is believed the aircraft was off course at the time of the accident, maybe following a navigation error.

The three engine aircraft was completing a charter flight from Lisbon to Torino with an intermediate stop in Barcelona, carrying the Torino AC soccer team and its staff back to Torino after a friendly match in Portugal. The airplane left Lisbon at 0952LT and Barcelona Airport at 1315LT. After an uneventful flight, the crew started the descent to Torino-Aeritalia Airport in poor weather conditions with clouds down to 400 meters and an horizontal visibility estimated at 1,200 meters. Due to the poor visibility, the pilot did not realize he was flying to low when the aircraft hit the Mt Superga (675 meters high) and crashed on the east wall of the basilica, about 12 km from the runway 28 threshold. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and all 31 occupants were killed.
Crew:
Pierluigi Meroni, pilot,
Antonio Pangrazi,
Celestino D'Inca,
Cesare Biancardi.
Passengers:
Valerio Bacigalupo, player,
Aldo Ballarin, player,
Dino Ballarin, player,
Émile Bongiorni, player,
Eusebio Castigliano, player,
Rubens Fadini, player,
Guglielmo Gabetto, player,
Roger Grava, player,
Giuseppe Grezar, player,
Ezio Loik, player,
Virgilio Maroso, player,
Danilo Martelli, player,
Valentino Mazzola, player,
Romeo Menti, player,
Piero Operto, player,
Franco Ossola, player,
Mario Rigamonti, player,
Giulio Schubert, player,
Arnaldo Agnisetta, director,
Ippolito Civalleri, director,
Egri Erbstein, coach,
Leslie Lievesley, coach,
Ottavio Corina, masseur,
Renato Casalbore, journalist at Tuttosport,
Luigi Cavallero, journalist at La Stampa,
Renato Tosatti, journalist at Gazzetta del Popolo,
Andrea Bonaiuti, organizer.

The airplane departed Rome to reach the CIAF headquarters (Italian Armistice Commission with France) in Torino with seven people on board. Weather conditions deteriorated when the airplane crashed in Cartosio, about 10 km southwest of Acqui Terme. All seven occupants were killed, among them General Pietro Pintor and General Aldo Pellegrini.
Crew:
Maj Cesare Quinto,
Col Attilio Corti, pilot,
Cpt Giuseppe Cadel, pilot,
Mar Ettore Alberi, engineer.
Sgt/M Paolo Cinti, mechanic.
Passengers:
Gen Pietro Pintor,
Gen Aldo Pellegrini.

The three engine airplane departed Milan on a schedule service to Torino, carrying four passengers and three crew members. Approaching Torino from the northwest, the crew contacted Torino Airport, reporting poor visibility due to foggy conditions. The airplane impacted the slope of Mt Basso located 36 km west of Torino Airport. The wreckage was found 300 metres below the summit. All seven occupants were killed.
Crew:
Carlo Teboldi, pilot,
Dante Bulgarelli, copilot,
Tiberio Cara, radio operator.
Passengers:
Carlo Alberto Pensa,
Luigi Colombo,
Angelo Villa,
André Anderheggen.