Incident Overview
A crew returning to Canada was transporting the remains of a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) DHC-3 Otter (construction number 185) that had crashed in Gaza on 19 September 1958. While overflying the Apennine mountain range, the aircraft encountered poor weather conditions, including snowfall and icing. In these circumstances, the airplane began to lose altitude. The captain then decided to attempt an emergency landing. During the landing attempt, the aircraft struck trees and crashed in rough terrain.
Crew and Rescue
All seven crew members on board were evacuated from the wreckage. Both the transport aircraft and the DHC-3 Otter remains were destroyed in the accident.
Weather Conditions
The weather at the time was characterized by poor conditions with snow and icing. These conditions were encountered while the aircraft was overflying the mountainous terrain of the Apennines.