On January 1, 1974, a Fokker F28 Fellowship (registration I-TIDE) operated by Aerolinee Itavia was involved in an aviation accident near Torino-Caselle, Italy during landing or approach. 38 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The flight crew failed to maintain an adequate altitude during the final approach in low-visibility conditions. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 5 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
An aircraft crashed during its final approach to Torino-Caselle Airport following a collision with obstacles, resulting in 38 fatalities.
What happened
During an approach to Torino-Caselle Airport, the flight encountered challenging meteorological conditions characterized by snowfall and fog, which significantly reduced visibility. As the aircraft was on final approach, it struck a tree followed by a building currently under construction. The impact caused the aircraft to catch fire and come to rest in an inverted position approximately 3.7 km before reaching the threshold of runway 36. At the time of the incident, the Runway Visual Range (RVR) for runway 36 was recorded at 900 meters.
Findings
The accident resulted in 38 fatalities.
Four individuals, consisting of one crew member and three passengers, were successfully rescued from the wreckage.
The primary factor contributing to the crash was insufficient altitude during the final approach phase.
Probable cause
The flight crew failed to maintain an adequate altitude during the final approach in low-visibility conditions.
