December 23, 1978
Near Cinisi, Sicily, Italy
Alitalia, Flight 4128
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32
I-DIKQ
The aircraft crashed into ocean during a landing approach. Poor monitoring of altitudes and
too early a transition from ILS to visual flight procedures. One- hundred-eight out of 129
aboard killed.
APP: Palermo Approach Control
CAPT: Captain
COP: Co-pilot
STW: Steward
RDR: Palermo Radar
C.RAD: radio transmission by the Captain
| 0:34:00 | COP | Let's say we're leaving Guffy and four thousand. [position about 17.5 NM from PRS, altitude about 4100 ft, slightly east of the 217 radial] |
| C.RAD | Alitalia four one two eight leaving Guffy and four thousand. | |
| APP | Roger, leaving Guffy and four thousand at three-five. Report...twelve miles out. | |
| C.RAD | Twelve miles out. | |
| 0:35:15 | APP | For further, contact Radar 118.6 |
| C.RAD | One-eighteen-six. | |
| C.RAD | Radar, four-one-two-eight, good evening | |
| RDR | 4128, Radar, good evening, go ahead. | |
| C.RAD | We're leaving three thousand now and we're thirteen and half miles from Rais [PRS VOR/DME] | |
| RDR | Roger. Proceed as cleared by the Approach. Report ten miles from PRS for identification. Radar monitor service, VOR/DME two approach, runway in use 21. | |
| C.RAD | Runway 21. VOR/DME two. We'll call you at ten miles. | |
| COP | Uh, if it's a run...we could also make a straight... | |
| STW | Nooo.... | |
| COP | Ah... | |
| CAPT | Mmmh...uh...Straight, there it is. Straighter than this...we're going straight to the runway. We have it slightly displaced... | |
| STW | Yeah, I've briefly got it. | |
| CAPT | Me too, but it appears then disappers... | |
| STW | ...then desappears and we get fucked ! | |
| COP | Ten miles now. | |
| 0:37:00 | C.RAD | Ten miles, 4128. |
| RDR | Identified. Continue [approach]. Slightly to the right, to the right of the 217 [radial]. Report runway in sight. | |
| C.RAD. | We'll call you with the runway in sight. (Sound of radioaltimeter tone, preselected) [Aircraft is passing 2000 ft radio, about 10.5 NM out, almost perfectly aligned with the 217 radial, slightly below theoretical descent path] | |
| COP | I see the runway. | |
| STW | It could be that one... | |
| CAPT | No, it's better to... | |
| COP | Radio altimeter...our minima here are seven hundred. | |
| COP | He told us we're to the right... | |
| CAPT | Slightly to the right. | |
| COP | I'd say we're to the left. | |
| STW | To left for me also. | |
| CAPT | Uh... | |
| 0:37:30 | COP | The runway, that's it just ahead of us. So we were slightly to the right and not to the left. [according to radar recordings, distance is now 7.5 NM from PRS and the aircraft is diverging from the radial, being slightly to the east, that is to say right o |
| RDR | Seven miles. Aligned now. Continue and report. | |
| C.RAD. | We'll report. | |
| CAPT | Would we put something ? | |
| COP | Fifteen ! [flaps are lowered to 15 ] | |
| COP | Those were other lights. | |
| STW | Maybe I was fooled by that one... | |
| 00: 38: 00 | COP | Gear. [landing gear is extended. The aircrafts is at about 6 DME, approaching 700 ft when altitude should be 1500 ft, east of the 217 radial] |
| (sound of radio altimeter tone, 700 ft preselected) | ||
| RDR | 4128, now you're going to the left of radial. Going left of radial, about...one mile. [this information is correct regarding to the aircraft] | |
| C.RAD. | We're slightly left of radial. Which is our position at the moment ? | |
| RDR | Your position five miles. Five miles from PRS. | |
| CAPT | You got this one. But the runway is that one ! | |
| STW | Uh. | |
| COP | So he gave us wrong indications. | |
| CAPT | Yes. | |
| RDR | 4128, Radar. [The COPot initiates a mild right turn while continuing descent) | |
| C.RAD. | Go ahead. | |
| RDR | Four miles, still left of two-one seven. | |
| 0:38:40 | (sound of radio altimeter tone, 200 ft, automatic) | |
| CAPT | Wait a minute... | |
| COP | So he gave us wrong indications... [Descent is stopped] | |
| CAPT | Let's call Radar... | |
| COP | We thought we were to the left... (noise of crash. End of recording) |