Italy | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The crew departed Naples-Capodichino at 1740LT on a training mission. Following several circuits over the region, the aircraft suffered an engine failure in flight. Control was lost and the airplane crashed into the sea about 32 km southwest of Ischia Island. A crew member was rescued while three others were killed.
Crew:
Lt Gaetano De Rosa, pilot,
Lt Franco Noli, †
Cpt Pietro Pranzini, †
Maj Emanuele Cassano. †

Probable cause:

Engine failure in flight.

Crash of a Beechcraft C-45F Expeditor in Colle San Magno: 2 killed

Date & Time: Jan 10, 1962 at 1205 LT

Type of aircraft:

Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor

Operator:

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Guidonia – Naples

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The twin engine aircraft departed Guidonia AFB at 1120LT bound for Naples-Capodichino Airport with a crew of two on board. While cruising in low visibility due to fog, the airplane struck the slope of Mt Colle Noce located in Colle San Magno. The wreckage was found 400 meters below the summit and both crew members were killed.
Crew:
Mar Alberto Antellini, pilot,
Sgt Giuseppe Lenza, copilot.

Crash of a Douglas AC-47A near Aviano: 4 killed

Date & Time: Dec 3, 1961

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

43-48139

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

MSN:

13955/25400

YOM:

1944

Location:

Aviano

Friuli-Venezia Giulia

Country:

Italy

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While cruising at an altitude of 4,000 feet in foggy conditions, the airplane struck the slope of a mountain and crashed 30 km northeast of Aviano Airbase. All four crew members were killed.

Crash of a SIAI-Marchetti SM.102 in Parete: 2 killed

Date & Time: Oct 22, 1961 at 0915 LT

Type of aircraft:

SIAI-Marchetti SM.102

Operator:

Registration:

I-NINI

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Ferry

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Naples – Rome

MSN:

YOM:

1950

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

3306

Captain / Total hours on type:

82.00

Aircraft flight hours:

695

Circumstances:

After unloading 500 kg of newspapers at Capodichino Airport, the empty aircraft with a pilot and a flight mechanic aboard took off at 0850LT for the return VFR flight to Ciampino Airport, Rome. The take-off and climb-out were normal. Twenty minutes later the pilot informed Capodichino tower that he was returning because the right engine had failed. At this time he was at 1 000 ft over Grazzanise. At 0914LT the aircraft was on a heading of 120°, at 700 ft and maintaining altitude fairly well. Thereafter the flight did not respond to any calls. It crashed at approximately 0915LT near Parete, 13 km to the west-northwest of the south end of the Capodichino runway. Both crew members were instantly killed and the aircraft was destroyed. There was no fire following impact. The airplane was operated by Transavia Airlines Italia.
Crew:
Angelo Arduini, pilot,
Carlo Saporito, mechanic.

Probable cause:

Having considered various hypotheses as to the cause of the accident the Board concluded that it was caused by a cumulative effect of various factors.
- The weather conditions conducive to carburetor icing were such as to escape the attention of the pilot and thus explain his failure to take preventive or corrective action.
- Power reduction had occurred initially in the right engine as a result of carburetor icing.
- Subsequent loss of power in the left engine was also due to carburetor icing, or overheating as a result of operation at increased power to compensate for the failure of the right engine or again because of the deliberate action by the pilot to counter incipient overheating.
- The pilot failed to foresee the possibility of carburetor icing, to consider the desirability of feathering the right engine, to assess the significance of the increase in minimum speed caused by the trim of the aircraft and its asymmetric power and to appreciate the stall characteristics in such conditions.
- The low altitude at which the aircraft was flying precluded prompt recovery from an involuntary and severe stall.
- The pilot and mechanic had not strapped themselves into their seats with the result that they suffered fatal skull fractures.
- There may have been psychological reactions, difficult to evaluate, which were due to the fact that the mechanic had only recently been hired and that he had been involved ill another accident on 6 September, which had nearly cost him his job. Therefore, he might have been more inclined to display ability to the point of recklessness rather than to be overcautious (failure to land at Grazzanise).

Final Report:

Crash of a Grumman S2F-1 Tracker off Syracuse: 3 killed

Date & Time: Apr 27, 1961

Type of aircraft:

Grumman S-2 Tracker

Operator:

Registration:

MM144697

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Syracuse - Syracuse

MSN:

658

YOM:

1958

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While conducting a training flight off Syracuse, the aircraft suffered an engine failure and crashed into the Bay of Augusta. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
Mr. Bacci,
Mr. Ambroso,
Mr. Farina.

Probable cause:

Engine failure.

Crash of a De Havilland DH.114 Heron 2 on Mt Capanne: 11 killed

Date & Time: Oct 14, 1960 at 1550 LT

Type of aircraft:

De Havilland DH.114 Heron

Operator:

Registration:

I-AOMU

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Rome – Genoa

MSN:

14090

YOM:

1955

Flight number:

IT115

Location:

Mt Capanne (Elbe Island)

Tuscany

Country:

Italy

Region:

Europe

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While flying in marginal weather conditions between the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Ligurian Sea, the twin engine aircraft struck the slope of Mt Capanne located in the west part of Elbe Island, at an altitude of 728 meters. The aircraft was destroyed and all 11 occupants were killed. At the time of the accident, the visibility was poor due to clouds and the crew was unable to distinguish the mountain.
Crew:
Ennio Scipione, pilot,
Francesco Cossu, copilot,
Giovanna Pertusio, stewardess,
Grazia Candeloro, stewardess.
Passengers:
Giorgio Bracci,
Ernesto Cuomo Ulloa,
Maria Pia Dalmau,
Adelaide Rocca Dalmau,
Elio Perugi,
Silvio Sciunnach,
Naomichi Takashima.

Probable cause:

For unknown reason, the crew was flying under VFR mode in IMC conditions.

Crash of a Vickers 739B Viscount off Elba Island: 23 killed

Date & Time: Sep 29, 1960 at 1215 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers Viscount

Operator:

Registration:

SU-AKW

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Geneva – Rome – Athens – Cairo

MSN:

427

YOM:

Flight number:

MS738

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

1230

Aircraft flight cycles:

535

Circumstances:

The four engine aircraft departed Geneva-Cointrin Airport at 1105LT bound for Rome-Fiumicino Airport. While cruising on airway A3 at an altitude of 21,000 feet, the crew requested permission to ATC to modify his route due to the presence of a low pressure area. Permission was granted and the crew modified his route when contact was lost. The airplane entered a dive and crashed into the Ligurian Sea, about 27 km north of Elbe Island. SAR operations were conducted but no trace of the airplane nor the 23 occupants was found. On October 3, tourists on their sailing ship found a wheel floating on water and the Italian Authorities confirmed it was part of the Egyptian airplane. Unfortunately, only few pieces were recovered.

Probable cause:

Due to lack of evidences, the exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. However, it is believed that the loss of control was the result of severe turbulences encountered in a thunderstorm area which caused the failure of certain components of the aircraft and a eventual structural failure.

Crash of a Grumman S-2F-1 Tracker off Laveno: 2 killed

Date & Time: Sep 11, 1960 at 1330 LT

Type of aircraft:

Grumman S-2 Tracker

Operator:

Registration:

MM136557

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Fire fighting

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

MSN:

466

YOM:

1958

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The twin engine aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances into Lake Maggiore off Laveno, killing both crew members who were involved in a fire fighting mission.

Crash of a Beechcraft C-45F Expeditor near Monteflavio: 4 killed

Date & Time: Aug 25, 1960

Type of aircraft:

Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor

Operator:

Registration:

MM61684

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Vigna di Valle – Guidonia

MSN:

8023

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While approaching Guidonia Airbase from the northeast, the twin engine airplane struck the slope of Mt Pellecchia located near Monteflavio, about 15 km northeast of the airport. The aircraft was destroyed and all four crew members were killed.
Crew:
Lt Lorio Barbisan, pilot,
Mar Elio Pizzari,
M/Sgt Alfio Lorenzi,
Sgt Luciano Locatelli.

Crash of a Convair CV-240-4 in Rimini: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jul 31, 1960 at 1156 LT

Type of aircraft:

Convair CV-240

Operator:

Deutsche Flugdienst

Registration:

D-BELU

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Schedule:

Frankfurt – Rimini

MSN:

YOM:

1948

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Following an uneventful flight from Frankfurt, the crew started the descent to Rimini Airport when, at an altitude of 5,000 feet, the left engine lost power. The crew shut down the engine, feathered the propeller and continued the approach. At an altitude of 1,500 feet, the right engine lost power as well. The captain decided to attempt an emergency landing in a field located one km short of runway 13. On touchdown, the airplane lost its undercarriage and right wing before coming to rest. Eight passengers were uninjured while 25 other occupants were injured. A female passenger was killed.

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