Investigation Summary
The flight departed Rome 15 minutes early in an attempt to beat a developing thunderstorm at Milan. During the descent, the aircraft encountered severe turbulence and Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC). The crew believed they were established on the ILS for runway 35, but electromagnetic interference from the storm clouds likely affected their navigation instruments. Consequently, the aircraft passed over the airport at a high altitude and high rate of descent without the crew realizing they had overshot the field. After performing a non-standard 360-degree turn, the crew descended to 1,500 feet while heading north, away from the airport. Upon emerging from the clouds, the captain recognized they were not at Malpensa but near Vergiate Field. During an attempted go-around and 180-degree turn, the aircraft failed to gain sufficient altitude and struck the tail first on Mount San Giacomo. The DC-8 was carrying a heavy fuel load for its subsequent trans-Atlantic leg to Montreal, which fueled the intense fire that broke out immediately after the crash.
Final Conclusions
The investigation concluded the probable cause was a combination of factors: insufficient checking of flight times during the final approach, the use of a non-standard positioning procedure, and delayed or incorrect selection of the VOR radial. Additionally, the crew was misled by a 'broken view' of the terrain north of the airport, which appeared similar to the terrain south of the airport, leading to a fatal loss of situational awareness in severe weather.
Video Analysis
Alitalia Flight 660 Aftermath Footage | 2 August 1968 Milan, Italy — Historical footage showing the wreckage of the Alitalia DC-8 on Mount San Giacomo and the rescue efforts following the 1968 crash.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
Systems & Failure Modes
Instrument Landing System (ILS)
The crew believed they were locked onto the ILS signal, but electromagnetic waves from the thunderstorm caused interference, leading to a lateral deviation of over one kilometer.
Flight Data Recorder (FDR)
The FDR provided critical data on the aircraft's high rate of descent and the severe turbulence encountered during the final minutes of flight.
Interesting Facts
- 01All 95 people on board survived the initial impact.
- 02The aircraft was a 6-year-old Douglas DC-8-43 named 'Antoniotto Usodimare' (MSN 45630/159).
- 03The crash site was located 11.5 km north of Milan-Malpensa Airport.
- 04Severe turbulence during the approach resulted in recorded oscillation peaks of +2g and -1.5g.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Navigation Procedure Standardization
Source ↗The investigation emphasized the dangers of non-standard positioning procedures during instrument approaches, leading to reinforced training on adhering to published approach plates even in severe weather.
ATC Weather Communication Improvements
Source ↗Recommendations were made to improve the clarity and timeliness of weather updates provided by ATC to crews during critical approach phases to prevent situational awareness loss.