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Douglas DC-8-43 accident report
Alitalia DC-8-43 I-DIWA “ Amerigo Vespucci ” (v)
There have been a total of 5 serious accidents with DC-8-43s. Which is a lot in relation to the number of aircraft built (32 ). Of these, 3 were Alitalia aircraft, killing a total of 222 people.
On July 7, 1962, the DC-8-43 I-DIWD c/n 45631 of the Alitalia crashed. It was with 85 passengers and 9 crew members performing flight AZ771 from Bangkok (BKK) to Bombay (BOM) and approached runway 27 Bombay, Santacruz airport in the dark in light rain. However, the crew had made a navigational error and had descended too early and flew straight against Davandyachi Hill 11km NW of Junnar, at an altitude of 3600 feet. All occupants were killed. The aircraft had made its first flight in 1962 and only had 964 flight hours on the clock. Location : +-1km 19°17'04"N 73°47'48"E
On March 4, 1966, Canadian Pacific Airlines' DC-8-43 CF-CPK c/n 45761 made a failed landing at Haneda airport near Tokyo. It had taken off as Flight 402 in Hong Kong (HKG) with 62 passengers and 10 crew members. When they approached Tokyo, the weather there turns out not to be good, with thick fog. They fly a waiting circuit on FL140 in the hope that the weather will improve. The fog lifts slightly and they get permission to make a GCA approach to runway 33R. However, the plane comes out too low and hits the approach lights, 850m before the runway. Then flips on a seawall and catches fire. Comes to a stop at the end of RW. Pilot probably misled by the fog. The aircraft had made its first flight in 1965 and had only made 1792 flight hours. Location : +-200m 35°32'21.83”N 139°48'16.60"E
On August 02, 1968, the crew of the Alitalia DC-8-43 I-DIWF c/n 45630 made a wrong approach to Milan – Malpensa airport and crashed 11.5km North of RW35 in a wooded area. It made a flight with 85 passengers and 10 crew members from Rome (ROM) via Milan to Montreal. There are 13 deaths. First flight 1962, 4 x RR 508-12 Conway. Location : +-1km 45°44'03"N 8°43'18"E
Wreckage of I-DIWF
total destroyed DC-8-43 I-DIWB
On May 5, 1972, the DC-8-43 I-DIWB " Antonio Pigafetta " c/n 45625 of Alitalia flies against the Montagnalonga, a ridge of 685m high during a night approach to Palermo, Punta Raisi airport (PMO). It had left Rome with 108 passengers and 7 crew members. All were killed, it was the worst plane crash in Italy that tragically coincided with the 25th anniversary of the Alitalia on the same day. Crash was just below the summit at 605m altitude near the village of Carini, 5km SW v Palermo. It took 3 hours for the rescuers to reach the remote crash site. The wreckage was scattered over a large area. The crew had followed a wrong approach procedure. Location +-2km 38°08'35"N 13°07'45"E
On October 6, 1976, Cubana's DC-8-43 CU-T1201 c/n 45611 was blown up in full flight. Bomb attack plotted by Cuban Luis Posada Carriles , who worked for the CIA and still lives undisturbed in the US in 2005. All 48 passengers and 25 crew members are killed. Flight 455 had taken off from Bridgetown, Barbados (BGI) with Kingston, Jamaica (KIN) as destination. However, 9 minutes after departure there was a bomb explosion at 18000ft altitude. The crew tried to return to the airfield but it quickly lost altitude. The plane crashed into the sea 5 miles off the coast, 8km west of Bridgetown. First flight : 1961 location : +-2km 13°05'32"N 59°41'13"W
safe flight hours till fatality : 3343 [hr] (1 service years)