Accident Overview
On a regular scheduled service from Bologna Airport to Palermo, a DC-9 aircraft departed at 2008 local time with 77 passengers and a crew of four. While cruising at an altitude of 24,000 feet, the airplane disappeared from radar screens. The crew did not send any distress call. Search and rescue operations were initiated, and debris and dead bodies were found floating on the water approximately 25 kilometers northeast of Ustica Island, north of Sicily. The main wreckage sank to a depth of 3,500 meters.
Wreckage Recovery and Evidence
On 28 April 1987, Italian authorities decided to refloat the wreckage. During the recovery, traces of T4 explosive were found on several debris pieces. The cause of the accident could not be determined.
Theories
Multiple theories have been proposed over the years. In reference to ATC testimony, two unidentified objects were flying in the area at the time of the accident, believed to be two Libyan fighters. According to one theory, one pilot decided to leave and placed his plane below the DC-9, which exploded when the second pilot attempted to shoot him down. After the air-to-air missile was fired, the first fighter left the area, causing the missile to strike the DC-9.
In 1994, Italian authorities questioned this theory when a new official document reported that the DC-9 exploded in mid-air due to the detonation of an explosive device placed on board. However, in 2000, the real cause of this tragedy was still unknown.
In 2008, following statements from the former President of the Italian Republic, Francesco Cossiga, the assumption that the airplane may have been shot down by a French missile was reconsidered. President Cossiga stated that French and US authorities thought that the Libyan President Mouammar Kadhafi was on board and must be killed.
Conclusion
Many theories have been published since 1980, but the exact cause and circumstances of this tragedy remain unknown to date.