Investigation Summary
Flight 327 was a multi-leg domestic service scheduled to fly from Naples to Bari and then onward to Brindisi. On the night of the accident, the flight departed Naples at 20:00 CET, approximately 20 minutes behind schedule. During the descent phase into Bari, the crew was performing a visual approach. The investigation revealed that the captain had reported seeing the runway, but the aircraft was actually positioned on the extended centerline of runway 07 at a distance where such visual identification was likely premature or mistaken given the lack of ground-based navigational aids like radar or ILS at Bari-Palese at the time. The aircraft struck a hill near Poggiorsini at 1,450 feet (442 meters) above sea level. An altimeter recovered from the wreckage was found to be functioning correctly and indicated the actual impact elevation, confirming that the crew was unaware of their dangerously low altitude relative to the terrain. The investigation noted that the lack of infrastructure at regional airports during this period placed a high reliance on pilot visual accuracy.
Final Conclusions
The investigation concluded that the primary cause was Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) resulting from pilot error. The crew failed to maintain a safe altitude during a visual approach in an area with limited navigational infrastructure. The lack of radar and ILS at Bari-Palese Airport contributed to the crew's inability to verify their exact position and altitude during the descent.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Systems & Failure Modes
Altimeter
A pressure-sensitive instrument used to determine altitude; the unit recovered from I-ATIR confirmed the aircraft was at 1,450 feet at the moment of impact.
Instrument Landing System (ILS)
A ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision lateral and vertical guidance; its absence at Bari required the crew to rely on visual or non-precision methods.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was approximately 35 kilometers west-southwest of Bari-Palese Airport at the time of impact.
- 02The crash occurred on the extended centerline of runway 07.
- 03Bari-Palese Airport was not equipped with radar or an Instrument Landing System (ILS) in 1972.
- 04The altimeter recovered from the crash site confirmed the aircraft was at the elevation of the terrain at impact.
- 05The flight was operating approximately 20 minutes behind its scheduled departure time.
- 06Notable victims included artist Ugo Attardi, Sister Maria Natalina Macchia, and businessman Adolfo Orsini.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Navigational Infrastructure Review
The accident highlighted the risks of visual approaches at regional airports lacking radar and ILS, leading to broader scrutiny of navigational aids at Italian domestic airports.
Location
APPROXIMATE POSITION · Position recorded by the wikidata coordinate without a stated precision, so the ring shows roughly where the event occurred rather than an exact point. The ring shows the accuracy the record supports, not the point of impact.