Royal Air Force — Flight Chalk 4

A Royal Air Force Lockheed Hercules C.1, operating as part of a large-scale joint training exercise, crashed into the sea near the Meloria rocks shortly after departing Pisa. All 52 personnel on board, including 46 Italian paratroopers and 6 British crew members, were killed. The accident was described as Italy's worst peacetime military air disaster at the time.

Aircraft

Lockheed Hercules C.1

Registration

XV216

Phase

Climb

Cause

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Souls on Board

Fatalities

Origin → Dest

San Giusto Military Airport, Pisa, Italy → Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy

Report

Final

Investigation Summary

The aircraft, designated 'Chalk 4', was the fourth in a stream of ten aircraft (nine Hercules and one Andover) scheduled to depart at 15-minute intervals for a parachute drop in Sardinia during Exercise Coldstream. Shortly after takeoff from San Giusto Military Airport, the aircraft struck the water near the Meloria rocks, approximately four miles west of Livorno. The wreckage was eventually located in 200 feet (61 meters) of water. The recovery operation, led by the Italian Navy, was significantly hampered by persistent wind, low clouds, and poor sea conditions. Despite the recovery of fragments and the location of the main wreckage, investigators were unable to determine a definitive cause for the sudden descent into the sea.

Final Conclusions

The investigation was unable to establish the specific cause of the crash. The summary of the event is categorized as a controlled flight into the sea, though the underlying reason for the aircraft's altitude loss remains unknown.

Video Analysis

No video analysis linked for this case file yet.

Systems & Failure Modes

Altimeter

Instruments used to monitor altitude; their role in the descent into the sea was scrutinized but no failure was proven.

Interesting Facts

01The aircraft was carrying 46 Italian paratroopers from the Folgore Parachute Brigade.
02The crew consisted of five members from 24 Squadron RAF and one instructor from No. 1 Parachute Training School.
03The accident site was near the Meloria rocks, a series of rocky outcrops off the coast of Livorno.
04The exercise, named Coldstream, was a joint UK-Italian military training operation.
05The wreckage was found in approximately 61 meters of water.
06While the RAF designated the aircraft 'Chalk 4', Italian sources frequently refer to it by the translated callsign 'Gesso 4'.

Safety Actions & Advisories

Suspension of Low-Level Night Training

Following the accident, the Royal Air Force temporarily suspended similar low-level night training flights for the Hercules fleet until a preliminary review of the exercise procedures was completed.