Fiat G.212 accident at Torino, Italy, 4 May 1949 (I-ELCE)
On May 4, 1949, a Fiat G.212 (registration I-ELCE) operated by Avio Linee Italiane - ALI was involved in an aviation accident near Torino, Italy during landing or approach. 31 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Navigational error on part of the crew who did not realize he lost more than 1,000 meters during the last minutes. This navigational error was attributable to the poor weather conditions that influenced the direction finder system. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 1 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
Probable cause
Navigational error on part of the crew who did not realize he lost more than 1,000 meters during the last minutes. This navigational error was attributable to the poor weather conditions that influenced the direction finder system. Poor visibility and lack of suitable assistance on part of the ATC were considered as a contributory factor.
— NTSB Determination
Accident narrative
The three engine aircraft was completing a charter flight from Lisbon to Torino with an intermediate stop in Barcelona, carrying the Torino AC soccer team and its staff back to Torino after a friendly match in Portugal. The airplane left Lisbon at 0952LT and Barcelona Airport at 1315LT. After an uneventful flight, the crew started the descent to Torino-Aeritalia Airport in poor weather conditions with clouds down to 400 meters and an horizontal visibility estimated at 1,200 meters. Due to the poor visibility, the pilot did not realize he was flying to low when the aircraft hit the Mt Superga (675 meters high) and crashed on the east wall of the basilica, about 12 km from the runway 28 threshold. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and all 31 occupants were killed. Crew: Pierluigi Meroni, pilot, Antonio Pangrazi, Celestino D'Inca, Cesare Biancardi. Passengers: Valerio Bacigalupo, player, Aldo Ballarin, player, Dino Ballarin, player, Émile Bongiorni, player, Eusebio Castigliano, player, Rubens Fadini, player, Guglielmo Gabetto, player, Roger Grava, player, Giuseppe Grezar, player, Ezio Loik, player, Virgilio Maroso, player, Danilo Martelli, player, Valentino Mazzola, player, Romeo Menti, player, Piero Operto, player, Franco Ossola, player, Mario Rigamonti, player, Giulio Schubert, player, Arnaldo Agnisetta, director, Ippolito Civalleri, director, Egri Erbstein, coach, Leslie Lievesley, coach, Ottavio Corina, masseur, Renato Casalbore, journalist at Tuttosport, Luigi Cavallero, journalist at La Stampa, Renato Tosatti, journalist at Gazzetta del Popolo, Andrea Bonaiuti, organizer.
Probable cause (official findings): Navigational error on part of the crew who did not realize he lost more than 1,000 meters during the last minutes. This navigational error was attributable to the poor weather conditions that influenced the direction finder system. Poor visibility and lack of suitable assistance on part of the ATC were considered as a contributory factor.