What happened
A flight operating as a ferry mission from Athens, Greece, toward Ciampino Airport in Rome, crashed on the southeast side of Mt Scifarello. The aircraft was being relocated from Bahrain to England for scheduled maintenance and specific modifications. During the journey, the crew operated under an IFR flight plan and departed Athens at 1407Z.
At a point in the flight, the pilot requested permission to descend to a lower altitude, noting an expected passage over Caraffa around 1730. This request for a lower flight level was denied by controllers because the proposed altitude fell below the established safety minimums for that specific route segment. Following this communication, the aircraft ceased all contact with air traffic services.
The wreckage was located at an elevation of roughly 1,730 metres (5,675 ft) between 1735Z and 1808Z. The impact resulted in 3 fatalities and the total destruction of the aircraft.
Findings
Investigations determined that a navigational error was the primary reason for the accident. Several secondary factors contributed to the loss of the aircraft:
- Atmospheric conditions were more severe than what had been predicted in the weather forecast.
- The crew experienced significant challenges in obtaining accurate MF bearings.
- The aircraft lacked anti-icing equipment on its wings to combat the encountered weather.