Aerolinee Itavia Flight 870

Aerolinee Itavia Flight 870, also known in the Italian media as the Ustica Disaster, was an Italian flight that suffered an in-flight explosion while in route to Palermo. It was a regularly scheduled flight from Guglielmo Marconi Airport in Bologna, Italy to Palermo International Airport in Palermo, Italy. The flight departed with 2 hours of delay at 20:08 CET on June 27, 1980. At the controls of the McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15 that evening were Captain Domenico Gatti and First Officer Enzo Fontana.

The aircraft (registered I-TIGI), which left Guglielmo Marconi Airport bound for Palermo International Airport, crashed at 20:59 CET into the Tyrrhenian Sea near the island of Ustica, Italy about 80 miles (130 km) southwest of Naples, Italy. All 81 people on board were killed (2 flight crew members, 2 flight attendants, and 77 passengers).

Two Italian Air Force F-104 were scrambled at 21.00 from Grosseto Air Force Base to locate the accident area and to spot any survivors but they failed due to lack of visibility.

Official explanation

Alternative theories

A terrorist bomb

A terrorism theory was the first to be mentioned. The accident happened one month before the Bologna Central Station terrorist attack, the worst act of terrorism on Italian soil, in the same city from which Flight 870 departed. Soon before and after the Bologna Massacre, Italy was hit by a series of terrorist attacks: The Piazza Fontana bombing, in 1969, the Piazza della Loggia bombing in Brescia, and the Italicus train bombing.

A report released in 1994 stated new evidence pointed to an IED placed inside the rear lavatory of the aircraft. The evidence consists of additional aircraft debris recovered during a second search that showed fracture patterns consistent with an internal explosion. This evidence was confuted in 1995. [link]

Missile strike during training exercise

Missile strike during military operation

The media also reported that radar monitoring released in 1997 by NATO showed that at least seven fighter aircraft were in the vicinity when the jet plunged into the sea off the island of Ustica. According to these sources, the radar shows one or two Libyan MiG-23 had tried to evade detection by flying close to the airliner. Three Italian Air Force F-104s, one U.S. Navy A-7 Corsair II and a French fighter pursued the Libyan MiG-23 and a battle ensued, according to the reports.

ATC transcription

*20:00 local  	F/O  	Itavia 870, ready for start-up.[Flight IH870 is running about two hours late due to small technical problems and heavy weather that has disrupted normal air traffic over Italy that day]
*TWR 	870, cleared to start. When ready, cleared also for taxi.
*F/O 	Roger.
*20:05 	TWR 	870, clearance.
*F/O 	Go ahead.
*TWR 	Itavia 870 is cleared to Palermo via Firenze, Amber 14; climb and maintain flight level one-niner-zero. Read back and call when ready for take-off.
*F/O 	870 is cleared to Palermo, via Firenze, Amber 14, level 190. We'll call you ready.
*20:07 	F/O 	870 is ready for take off.
*TWR 	870, cleared for take-off.
*20:08 	TWR 	870, airborne at 08, call Padova center, good-bye.
*F/O 	With Padova, bye.
*20:11 	F/O 	Padova, good evening, Itavia 870.
*Padova ACC 	Itavia 870, continue as cleared and report Firenze.
*F/O 	We'll report Firenze.[Control was procedural. IH870 reached Firenze VOR at 20:20]
*20:20 	F/O 	Over Firenze, Itavia 870.
*Padova ACC 	Contact Rome Radar, 124.2, good-bye.
*F/O 	Rome, 124.2, good-bye, 870.
*F/O 	Good evening Rome, Itavia 870.
*Rome (North -East sector) ACC 	Good evening to you too, 870. Squawk 1136. Cleared to Palermo, via Bolsena, Puma, Latina, Ponza, Amber 13
*F/O 	1136 is coming and 870 is cleared to Palermo via Bolsena, Puma, Latina, Ponza, Amber 13 and we're approaching 190...
*Rome ACC 	Climb initially to 230.
*F/O 	Up to 230, 870.[IH870 is cleared to FL230 and not to an higher level because at FL250, a few miles ahead, another Itavia aircraft, flight IH779 from Bergamo to Rome Ciampino, is about to start descent. The radar controller asks to the DC-9 crew if they have a visual.]
*F/O 	Rome, 870, with the traffic in sight, is turning left again, crossing 245.
*Rome ACC 	Roger, direct to Bolsena.
*F/O 	Direct to Bolsena, 870.
*20:27 	Rome ACC 	[due to some scalloping of the Firenze VOR, IH779 and IH870 are now about 8 miles left of the Amber 14's centerline]Itavia 779, proceed direct to Campagnano [VOR], 160 heading from present position. Also 870 take 160 heading.
*F/O 	160 for 870.
*20:34 	Rome ACC 	870, call Rome 125.5. Bye.
*F/O 	125.5.
*F/O 	Rome, good evening. 870 is over Bolsena.
*Rome (Terminal) ACC 	Radar contact, as cleared.
*20:39 	Rome ACC 	870, 124.2, good evening.[IH870 is over Puma reporting point and is turning left to Latina VOR]
*F/O 	Thank you, bye.
*F/O 	This is 870, good evening, Rome.
*Rome ACC 	870 ?
*F/O 	Good evening, 870 maintaining 290, over Puma.
*Rome ACC 	Roger, proceed Latina, Ponza.
*20:44 	F/O 	Rome, 870.
*Rome ACC 	Itavia 870, for Ponza 123.35.
*F/O 	Bye.
*F/O 	870, good evening, Rome.
*Rome (South Sector) ACC 	Good evening, 870; maintain 290, report Amber 13, Alpha.
*F/O 	Yes...neither Ponza is working ? We've found a graveyard this evening; coming from Firenze we didn't find one beacon working properly.
*Rome ACC 	In fact, everything is a bit out, Ponza too. What's your heading now ?
*F/O 	We've 195.
*Rome ACC 	Well, maintain 195. You'll go some mile south of Ponza.
*Rome ACC 	I don't know if you want to keep this heading. Otherwise you can go left, 15-20 degrees.
*F/O 	OK, we put 210.
*20:48 	F/O 	This is 870: is it possible to get 250 ?[IH870 requests a lower level due turbulence]
*Rome ACC 	Affirmative: you can start descent now.
*F/O 	Thanks: leaving 290.
*20:51 	Rome ACC 	870, you've left Ponza three miles to the right, so approximately to Palermo it's good this heading.
*F/O 	Very kind, thanks, we're approaching 250.
*Rome ACC 	Perfect, anyway call me when receiving Palermo [VOR].
*F/O 	PAL [VOR] is already on the air and coming well. And we got the Ponza DME.
*Rome ACC 	Good, so normal navigation to Palermo. Maintain 250, call me over Alpha.
*20:56 	F/O 	It's over Alpha, 870.
*Rome ACC 	Affirmative, slightly to the right, about four miles. Radar service terminates here. Call 128.8 for further (instructions)
*F/O 	Thank you for everything and good-bye.
*F/O 	Rome, Itavia 870. 115 miles to PRS [Raisi VOR, near Palermo], maintaining 250.
*Rome ACC 	Roger, Itavia 870. An estimate for Raisi ?
*F/O 	We estimate Raisi at 19.
*Rome ACC 	870, roger. Cleared to Raisi VOR, no delay expected. Call back for descent.
*F/O 	To Raisi, no delay. We'll call you for descent, 870.
*Rome ACC 	That is correct.
*20:59:45  [Last transponder answer from the IH870 is recorded at the far southern end of the Ciampino civil radar range. IH870 is recorded at FL250, about 50 miles north of Ustica island]
*21:04 	Rome ACC 	Itavia 870, when ready, cleared to 110, report leaving 250 and passing 150.[No answer]
*Rome ACC 	Itavia 870, Rome [No answer]
*Rome ACC 	Itavia 870, Rome, do you read ? [No answer. Two other traffic are requested to relay the calls to IH870, but no answer is ever get from the DC-9. All 81 people on board perished in this yet to be explained crash][#endnote_note1]

Conspiracy theories

• August 3 1980: Pierangelo Teoldi, Grosetto AFB Commander - Car accident.
• May 9 1981: Maurizio Gari, Poggio Ballone air defense radar controller - heart attack at age 37.
• March 20 1987: Licio Giorgieri, Italian Aircraft Registry Commander - killed by a communist terrorist group. (see [it])
• March 31 1987: Mario Alberto Dettori, Poggio Ballone air defence radar controller - suicide by Hanging.
• August 12 1988: Ugo Zammarelli, Cagliari Italian Army Intelligence's Service (see [it]) - hit and run by motorcycle.
• August 28 1988: Mario Naldini and Ivo Nutarelli, Italian Air Force strike pilots - mid air collision during the 1988 Ramstein Air Show.
• February 1 1991: Antonio Muzio, Lamezia Terme control tower Marshal - murdered.
• February 2 1992: Sandro Marcucci, Italian Air Force 46a Aerobrigata Pisa pilot - air crash during a wildfire firefighting operation.
• February 2 1992: Antonio Pagliara, Otranto air defence radar controller - car accident.
• January 12 1993: Roberto Boemio, Italian Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 3a Air Region - knifed during a robbery.
• November 2 1994: Gian Paolo Totaro, Italian army Major medic - suicide by hanging.
• December 21 1995: Franco Parisi, Otranto air defense radar controller - suicide by hanging.
• April 4 2002: Michele Landi, IT consultant for the Italian government and for the same Procura that was on the Itavia 870 case - suicide by hanging (soon after he revealed he had come in the possession of information regarding the incident)[link]

See also

• Strategy of tension
• Anni di piombo
• List of accidents and incidents on commercial airliners
• EgyptAir Flight 990
• Iran Air Flight 655
• Korean Air Flight 007
• TWA Flight 800
• Avianca Flight 410
• Accidents and incidents in aviation

References

• ↑  ATC transcript as published in Italian by VOLARE, n.40, year IV. English translation provided by Enrico Zaffiri.

External links

• [Confutation of the "Bomb Thesis" (in Italian)]
• [AirDisaster.Com Accident Synopsis of Flight 870]
• [Accident details] at [planecrashinfo.com]
• , film about the accident

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