Douglas C-54 Skymaster accident at Amalfi, Italy, 1 Jun 1946 (44-9078)
On June 1, 1946, a Douglas C-54 Skymaster (registration 44-9078) operated by United States Army Air Forces - USAAF (1941-1947) was involved in an aviation accident near Amalfi, Italy in flight. 30 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: At the time of the accident, weather conditions were poor but were not considered as a contributory factor. Investigators were unable to determine the exact cause of the fire in the cockpit, maybe following an electrical short-circuit. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 2 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
Probable cause
At the time of the accident, weather conditions were poor but were not considered as a contributory factor. Investigators were unable to determine the exact cause of the fire in the cockpit, maybe following an electrical short-circuit.
— NTSB Determination
Accident narrative
While flying at cruising level off the Italian coast in poor weather conditions and under instrument flight rules, a fire erupted in the cockpit, on the left side of the captain. The crew tried to extinguish the fire but without success. The fire quickly spread and in such conditions, the crew decided to take refuge in the main cabin and helped the rest of the passengers to put their parachute in case they should abandon the aircraft. Unfortunately, this took time as the passengers did not received any preflight instruction about how to use a parachute. Shortly later, the aircraft went out of control and in fire, dove into the sea and crashed into the Gulf of Salerno, off Amalfi. On site, rescuers were able to evacuate eight people who survived: 4 passengers and all 4 crew members that were able to bail out before the crash. Unfortunately, all 30 other occupants were killed and the aircraft disintegrated on impact.
Probable cause (official findings): At the time of the accident, weather conditions were poor but were not considered as a contributory factor. Investigators were unable to determine the exact cause of the fire in the cockpit, maybe following an electrical short-circuit.