50 Years ago today: On 5 May 1972 an Alitalia Douglas DC-8-43 crashed into Mount Lunga, killing all 115 occupants.
| Date: | Friday 5 May 1972 |
| Time: | 22:24 |
| Type: | Douglas DC-8-43 |
| Operator: | Alitalia |
| Registration: | I-DIWB |
| MSN: | 45625/144 |
| First flight: | 1961 |
| Engines: | 4 Rolls-Royce Conway 508-12 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 7 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 108 / Occupants: 108 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 115 / Occupants: 115 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | 5 km (3.1 mls) SW of Palermo ( |
| Crash site elevation: | 610 m (2001 feet) amsl |
| Phase: | Approach (APR) |
| Nature: | Domestic Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Roma-Fiumicino Airport (FCO/LIRF), Italy |
| Destination airport: | Palermo-Punta Raisi Airport (PMO/LICJ), Italy |
| Flightnumber: | AZ112 |
Narrative:
Crashed into Mount Longa at an altitude of 2000 feet (300 feet below the top) while on a night-time approach to Palermo. Weather at the time of the accident included broken cloud layer of 3/8 cumulus at 1500 feet and a visibility of 3 miles. The crew did not adhere to the established approach procedures.
The aircraft was named “Antonio Pigafetta”.
