https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Alitalia_Flight_771Alitalia Flight 771 - Revision history2026-08-02T20:27:25ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Alitalia_Flight_771&diff=485569&oldid=prevTerrence5904 at 22:55, 19 February 20262026-02-19T22:55:53Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|1962 aviation accident}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}<br />
{{Infobox Aircraft accident<br />
| name = Alitalia Flight 771<br />
| occurrence_type = Accident<br />
| image = I-DIWI DC-8-42 Alitalia LHR 04MAY63 (5580217483).jpg<br />
| image_upright = 1.15<br />
| caption = An Alitalia Douglas DC-8 similar to the one involved<br />
| date = {{nowrap|7 July 1962, 18:40 UTC<br/>(8 July 1962, 00:10 local)}}<br />
| summary = [[Controlled flight into terrain]] due to [[pilot error]]<br />
| site = {{convert|11|km|mi nmi|abbr=on}} NW of [[Junnar]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]]<br />
| coordinates = {{Coord|19|12|0|N|73|52|48|E}}<br />
| aircraft_type = [[McDonnell Douglas DC-8|Douglas DC-8-43]]<br />
| aircraft_name = ''Lanzerotto Malocello''<br />
| operator = [[Alitalia]]<br />
| plane1_IATA = AZ771<br />
| plane1_ICAO = AZA771<br />
| plane1_callsign = ALITALIA 771<br />
| tail_number = I-DIWD<br />
| origin = [[Sydney Airport|Kingsford-Smith Airport]], [[Sydney]], Australia<br />
| stopover0 = [[Darwin International Airport]], [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]], Australia<br />
| stopover1 = [[Don Mueang International Airport]], [[Bangkok]], Thailand<br />
| stopover2 = [[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport|Santacruz Airport]], [[Bombay]], India<br />
| stopover3 = [[Jinnah International Airport]], [[Karachi]], Pakistan<br />
| last_stopover = [[Mehrabad Airport]], [[Tehran]], Iran<br />
| destination = [[Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport]], [[Rome]], Italy<br />
| occupants = 94<br />
| passengers = 85<br />
| crew = 9<br />
| fatalities = 94<br />
| survivors = 0<br />
}}<br />
'''Alitalia Flight 771''' was a multi-leg [[McDonnell Douglas DC-8|Douglas DC-8-43]] international scheduled flight from [[Sydney Airport|Sydney]] via [[Darwin International Airport|Darwin]], [[Don Mueang International Airport|Bangkok]], [[Santacruz, Mumbai|Bombay]], [[Jinnah International Airport|Karachi]], and [[Mehrabad Airport|Tehran]] to [[Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport|Rome]] with 94 on board. On 7 July 1962 18:40 [[UTC]] (8 July 1962, 00:10 local) it crashed into a hill about {{convert|84|km}} north-east of [[Bombay]] while on approach.<br />
<br />
== Background ==<br />
<br />
=== Aircraft ===<br />
The aircraft involved was a Douglas DC-8-43 constructed in 1962 and registered as I-DIWD to Alitalia. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had recorded 964 flight hours. The captain of the flight had signed the Certificate of Maintenance on 6 July 1962. The aircraft was equipped with a [[Very high frequency|VHF navigation]] receiver, [[Instrument landing system|glide slope]] receiver, [[marker beacon]] receiver, [[Radio direction finder|ADF receiver]], [[Loran-C|Loran receiver]], [[doppler radar]], and a [[Transponder (aeronautics)|transponder]]; but the aircraft did not have any [[flight recorder]]s.{{sfn|ICAO Circular|p=86}}<br />
<br />
No mechanical issues were reported, and the centre of gravity and weight of the DC-8 were within permitted parameters.{{sfn|ICAO Circular|p=86}}<br />
<br />
=== Crew ===<br />
Nine crew members were aboard the flight. The cockpit crew consisted of:<br />
* [[Pilot in command|Captain]] Luigi Quattrin,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/121258319/|title=The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales on July 8, 1962 · Page 2|work=Newspapers.com|access-date=2017-12-09|language=en}}</ref> who was 50 years old and had been a pilot since 1939. He had accumulated 13,700 flight hours, of which 1,396 were on the Douglas DC-8. He had previously flown the Rome-Bombay route on [[Douglas DC-6|DC-6]] and [[Douglas DC-7|DC-7]] aircraft but did not go all the way to Bangkok. On the familiarization flight for the Bangkok-Bombay route, which was required by Alitalia in order for him to be permitted to fly the route as pilot-in-command, he flew the route to Bangkok via the Tehran-Karachi-Bombay route.{{sfn|ICAO Circular|p=85}}<br />
* The [[First officer (aeronautics)|co-pilot]], Ugo Arcangeli,<ref name=":0">"Seduta di Lunedì 9 Lugio 1962 Presidenza del Vicepresidente Bucciarelli Ducci" ''III Legislatura — Discucioni — Seduta del 9 Luglio 1962'' http://legislature.camera.it/_dati/leg03/lavori/stenografici/sed0640/sed0640.pdf</ref> was 33 years old and had been a pilot since 1956. He had accumulated a total of 3,480 flight hours, of which 1,672 had been from flying as co-pilot on the DC-8.{{sfn|ICAO Circular|p=85}}<br />
* The [[flight engineer]], Luciano Fontana,<ref name=":0" /> was 31 years old and had 4,070 flight hours, of which 386 were from flying on the DC-8.{{sfn|ICAO Circular|p=85}}<br />
The remaining six members of the crew were flight attendants. Both the captain and co-pilot were trained navigators, but there was no individual navigator in the flight crew.<br />
<br />
== Synopsis ==<br />
After starting initially with 45 passengers in Sydney and taking on more passengers on the stops to Darwin and Singapore,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/5RXoc5o89Pu4jDnPIMCMbL/The-origin-of-the-black-box.html|title=The origin of the black box|last=Vadukut|first=Sidin|date=2015-03-27|work=Live Mint|access-date=2017-12-09}}</ref> Flight 771 departed from Bangkok at 15:16 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] with 94 people aboard as stated by the load sheet, although the official flight plan stated there was to be 98 people aboard. The flight plan was not signed by the pilot-in-command, a violation of the Alitalia Operations Manual.{{sfn|ICAO Circular|p=88}}{{sfn|ICAO Circular|p=87}}<br />
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Flight 771 first made communications with Bombay Flight Information Center at 17:20, during which the flight requested a weather forecast for landing, as well as stating their estimated time of arrival to be 18:45 and their altitude to be {{convert|36,000|ft|m}}. Between the times of 17:30 and 17:47 they were informed of the local weather forecast; Various weather reports for Bombay at the time of the accident indicated that there was light rain but no thunderstorms or other dangerous conditions.{{sfn|ICAO Circular|p=83}}<br />
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At 18:20 the flight switched to the Bombay approach frequency and requested to initiate descent when over the point of Aurangabad to an altitude of {{convert|20,000|ft|m}}. The descent was approved and the weather information provided was acknowledged.{{sfn|ICAO Circular|p=83}}<br />
<br />
The flight initiated descent at 18:24:36 UTC, descending from {{convert|35,000|to|20,000|ft|m}} approximately twenty minutes before it was due to land at Bombay with an ETA at 18:45. At 18:25 the flight was cleared to take a transition level of {{convert|4,000|ft|m}}. Weather information was transmitted again at 18:28:04, with the [[QNH]] at 29.58 inches. At 18:29 the air traffic controller was informed of the flight's preference to land on runway 27. At 18:38:34 the flight was asked if it would be making a 360° over the beacon or landing in directly.{{sfn|ICAO Circular|p=83}} At 18:38:49 the flight only replied "OK" leading to some confusion as to which approach would be taken. The flight clarified shortly thereafter that it would make a 360° over the outer beacon.{{sfn|ICAO Circular|p=84}}<br />
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At 18:38:54 the DC-8 reached an altitude of 5,000 feet; the flight plan provided by Alitalia prescribed a {{convert|100|mi|km|adj=on}} descent to Bombay in 13 minutes. The flight continued descending further to {{convert|3,600|ft|m}}, well below the minimum safety altitude at {{convert|9,000|ft|m}} as well as below the {{convert|4,000|ft|m}} minimum initial approach altitude.{{sfn|ICAO Circular|p=84}}<br />
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The last communication heard from the aircraft was at 18:39:58 again confirming the 360° over the beacon. The DC-8 crashed into Davandyachi hill on a bearing of 240°. The wreckage of the aircraft was found scattered among trees on the hill with the remains of the cockpit altimeter at an altitude of {{convert|3,600|ft|m}}, only {{convert|5|ft|m}} short of the top.{{sfn|ICAO Circular|p=87}} The DC-8 was completely destroyed and all persons aboard perished in the crash.{{sfn|ICAO Circular|p=84}}<br />
<br />
== Causes ==<br />
Investigators explored several potential causes, including: navigational errors which led the pilot to believe that he was nearer to his destination than he actually was; failure to maintain the recommended safe altitude; and pilot's unfamiliarity with the flight route.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19620707-1}}</ref> Pilot intoxication was initially suggested but ruled out as a contributing cause. Chart number 21 from the radio facility did not show the terrain the flight crashed into and only indicated the presence of a location {{convert|13|mi|nmi km}} to the north at a height of {{convert|5,400|ft|m}}.{{sfn|ICAO Circular|p=91}}<br />
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Investigators concluded that errors in navigation led the pilot to think he was closer to the necessary point of descent than in reality, resulting in a premature descent for a straight-in instrument approach at night, resulting in controlled flight into terrain.{{sfn|ICAO Circular|p=92}}<br />
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Secondary causes of the accident were cited as follows by the ICAO:{{sfn|ICAO Circular|p=92}}<br />
<blockquote><br />
"1. Failure on the part of the pilot to make use of the navigational facilities available in order to ascertain the correct position, of the aircraft.<br /><br />
2. Infringement of the prescribed minimum safe altitude.<br /><br />
3. Unfamiliarity of the pilot with the terrain on the route."<br />
</blockquote><br />
<br />
== See also ==<br />
{{Portal|India|Italy|Aviation}}<br />
* [[Air Inter Flight 148]]<br />
* [[Crossair Flight 3597]]<br />
* [[Indian Airlines Flight 605]]<br />
<br />
== References ==<br />
<br />
===Citations===<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
<br />
===Bibliography===<br />
{{refbegin}}<br />
*{{cite web|url=https://www.baaa-acro.com/sites/default/files/import/uploads/2017/11/I-DIWD.pdf|title=ICAO Circular 71-AN/63|date=1966|publisher=[[International Civil Aviation Organization]]|language=en|accessdate=2017-12-09|ref={{harvid|ICAO Circular}}}}<br />
{{refend}}<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20210707003807/https://www.tailstrike.com/060762.htm Alitalia Flight 771 CVR Transcript]<br />
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{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 1962}}<br />
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in India}}<br />
{{coord|19|12|00|N|73|52|48|E|type:city_source:kolossus-plwiki|display=title}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Airliner accidents and incidents involving controlled flight into terrain]]<br />
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in India]]<br />
[[Category:History of Mumbai (1947–present)]]<br />
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving the Douglas DC-8]]<br />
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1962]]<br />
[[Category:1962 in India]]<br />
[[Category:Alitalia accidents and incidents|771]]<br />
[[Category:July 1962 in Asia]]</div>Terrence5904