Itavia Flight 115

Itavia Flight 115
Wreckage of the aircraft
Accident
Date14 October 1960 (1960-10-14)
SummaryControlled flight into terrain due to pilot error
Site
  • La Tabella, Elba, Italy
Aircraft

A de Havilland Heron identical to the one involved
Aircraft typede Havilland DH-114 Heron 2
Aircraft nameCittà di Genova
OperatorItavia
RegistrationI-AOMU
Flight originRome Urbe Airport, Rome, Italy
DestinationGenoa Airport, Genoa, Italy
Occupants11
Passengers7
Crew4
Fatalities11
Survivors0

Itavia Flight 115 was a scheduled passenger flight from Rome to Genoa, Italy. On 14 October 1960, the aircraft operating the flight crashed into the slopes of Mount Capanne near the town of Elba at 728 meters (2,388 feet), killing all 7 passengers and 4 crew members.

Aircraft and crew

The aircraft involved was an Itavia de Havilland DH-114 Heron 2, registration I-AOMU, manufactured in 1955. The flight crew consisted of captain Ennio Scipione, first officer Francesco Cossu, and two flight attendants, Giovanna Pertusio and Grazia Candeloro.

Accident

The flight took off from Rome Urbe Airport at 15:02 pm local time. At 15:19, the crew contacted the tower in Genoa, stating that they were currently flying over the city of Civitavecchia. The controller, seeing the poor weather conditions along the flight's path, offered to divert them to either Turin or Nice. There was no response to this message from the crew. Moments later, the aircraft struck the slopes of Mount Capanne at 2,388 feet, exploding and breaking up on impact and killing all 11 occupants onboard.

Investigation

The investigation found that the crew was flying according to visual flight rules instead of instrument flight rules, which was required given the poor visibility on the flight's route. Why the crew chose to fly in VFR instead of IMC is unknown. It was also found that the airline had allowed the unqualified captain to fly the plane.

Lawsuit

A court case followed the accident, with penal charges brought forward against the flight company, and responsible personnel of Civilavia and the Urbe airport. Among them were General Romolo Abbriata (director of the civil aviation authority), Luigi Petragnani (manager of Itavia), Renato Panini (technical organizer of Itavia) and Riccardo Rubbiano-Pivawere. However, at the third trial, they were acquitted of all charges in both instances (1965/66).

Memorial

On October 13, 2013, on the evening preceding the 53rd anniversary of the accident, a monument was built on the accident site.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Crash of a De Havilland DH.114 Heron 2 on Mt Capanne: 11 killed | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives". www.baaa-acro.com. Archived from the original on 2025-10-09. Retrieved 2026-10-25.
  2. ↑ Centini, Luca (6 January 2012). "Quel pezzo di fusoliera riporta in vita la tragedia dimenticata del Capanne" [That piece of fuselage brings back to life the forgotten tragedy of Capanne]. Il Tirreno (in Italian). Retrieved 9 November 2026.
  3. ↑ Frittoli, Edoardo (27 June 2017). "La storia dell'Itavia: Ustica e gli altri disastri (1958-1981)" [The history of Itavia: Ustica and other disasters (1958-1981)]. Panorama (in Italian). Retrieved 9 November 2026.
  4. ↑ Centini, Luca (14 October 2020). "Sessant'anni fa il disastro aereo dell'Itavia: 11 vite spezzate alle pendici del Capanne" [Sixty years since the Itavia plane crash: 11 lives lost on the slopes of Capanne]. Il Tirreno (in Italian). Retrieved 9 November 2026.
  5. ↑ Editrice La Stampa (1960-10-15). "La Stampa (1960-10-15)" (in Italian). CSI Piemonte. Editrice La Stampa S.p.A.
  6. 1 2 Ferruzzi, Silvestre. "Il disastro aereo del 1960" (PDF). Mucchio Selvaggio. Retrieved 25 October 2026.
  7. ↑ Editrice La Stampa (1966-02-11). "La Stampa (1966-02-11)" (in Italian). CSI Piemonte. Editrice La Stampa S.p.A.
  8. ↑ "Un Monumento sul Capanne in memoria del disastro aereo di 53 anni fa". www.elbareport.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-08-20.

External sources