Investigation Summary
The flight was the first leg of a long-haul service to Leopoldstad, Congo. The aircraft involved (MSN 43063/60) was a Douglas DC-6 built in 1947. As the aircraft approached the Rome terminal area, it encountered a severe storm with heavy rain and snow. At 19:48 GMT, Ciampino controllers queried the crew about their position relative to the Viterbo NDB. The crew, seemingly uncertain, asked if the beacon was at full power. Despite receiving confirmation that the beacon was functional, the crew reported passing Viterbo at 19:50 GMT and requested descent to 5,500 feet. In reality, the aircraft had been pushed roughly 150 degrees off its intended course by unforecasted westerly winds. The descent was initiated directly into the Rieti mountain range. The impact occurred on the Costone dell'Acquasanta. Search efforts were severely hampered by the weather and the inaccessible nature of the site, which was located in a nature reserve. When rescuers finally reached the site on February 22, they found the forward fuselage shredded and the engines torn from the wings, with evidence that the landing gear had been extended just before impact.
Final Conclusions
The investigation concluded that the primary cause was the crew's failure to use all available radio aids to check and correct for wind drift. The crew held a false conviction that they were over the Viterbo beacon when they were actually miles off course. Contributing factors included crosswinds stronger than forecast and atmospheric conditions that severely degraded Medium Frequency (MF) radio reception, making navigation and communication difficult.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Systems & Failure Modes
Viterbo NDB
A Non-directional beacon used for navigation; the crew failed to accurately verify their passage over this point due to drift and poor reception.
Medium Frequency (MF) Radio
The primary band for navigation aids at the time, which the investigation noted was particularly susceptible to interference from the severe storm.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was 150 degrees off course at the time of impact.
- 02All 29 occupants died on impact, as confirmed by later autopsies.
- 03The wreckage was found at an altitude of 1,700 metres (5,500 feet).
- 04Among the victims was Marcella Mariani, an Italian actress and Miss Italia 1953.
- 05The search and rescue operation involved calculating fuel exhaustion to narrow the search area to a 100km radius from Rome.