Date & Time:
Feb 20, 1948 at 1340 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
I-REGI
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Florence - Pisa - Rome
MSN:
4312
YOM:
1941
Country:
Italy
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
3
Pax on board:
7
Pax fatalities:
4
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The aircraft was scheduled to fly from Florence to Rome but few minutes prior to departure, the operator decided to make an unscheduled stop in Pisa Airport to disembark passengers that were blocked in Florence due to a technical failure on the aircraft. Due to low clouds, the crew was forced to fly at low height from Florence to Pisa and apparently, the weather conditions dropped as the aircraft approached Pisa Airport. Descending from the south in poor visibility, the aircraft hit the slope of a mountain and crashed near the village of Collesalvetti, south of the airport. All three crew members and four passengers were killed while three other passengers were seriously injured.
Probable cause:
It is believed the accident was caused by successive errors on part of the crew, causing the aircraft to be too low and off track at the time of the accident. Low visibility caused by poor weather conditions should be considered as a contributory factor.
