Alitalia Flight 4128
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 · Controlled flight into water, pilot error
From Rome–Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International Airport (FCO) to Falcone–Borsellino Airport (PMO)
Event
- Event typeAccident: someone killed or seriously injured, or the aircraft substantially damaged (NTSB definition). Incident: an occurrence that affected or could have affected safety, short of that. Glossary
- Accident
- Event fatalities
- 108 · all aircraft and ground
- Ground fatalities
- Unknown
- Occupants
- 129
- Survivors
- 21
- InjuriesFatal: death within 30 days. Serious: over 48 hours in hospital within a week, most broken bones, severe bleeding, nerve or organ damage, or serious burns. Minor: anything less. Glossary
- 20
- OperationWhat kind of flying it was, grouped by the rules it flew under: airline (US Part 121), air taxi and commuter (Part 135), general aviation (Part 91 and similar), military or government. Glossary
- Airline
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32
- Flight
- AZ4128
- Aircraft type
- McDonnell Douglas DC-9
- Category
- Airplane · from aircraft type
- RegistrationThe aircraft's tail number, such as N12345 or G-ABCD. Registrations are reissued, so the same one years apart can be a different aircraft. Glossary
- I-DIKQ
- Operator
- Alitalia
- Onboard fatalities
- 108
- Route
- From Rome–Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International Airport (FCO)To Falcone–Borsellino Airport (PMO)
Cause areas
- Personnel issues › Psychological
- Personnel issues › Action/decision
From the investigation findings the Wikipedia article reports, sorted into the NTSB's cause areas with AI assistance.
Approximate · Coordinates from the Wikipedia article; not checked against an investigation report.
From the Wikipedia article
Alitalia Flight 4128 was a scheduled flight from Leonardo da Vinci Airport, in Rome, Italy, to Palermo International Airport in Palermo, Italy, with 129 on board. On 23 December 1978, the McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 crashed into the Tyrrhenian Sea about 3 km north of Palermo while on approach.
As a result of the accident, out of 129 people (between passengers and crew), 108 perished and 21 survived, rescued by nearby fishing boats. At the time of the incident, it was the second-deadliest air crash in Alitalia's history behind Alitalia Flight 112 which had crashed 6 years earlier whilst operating the same route.
Investigation and cause
Cause
The accident was attributed to the flight deck crew believing they were nearer to the runway than they were, and therefore making a premature descent. The initial part of the approach was instrumental until the flight was 2 mi from Palermo International Airport. The crew then stopped the descent at 150 ft above the sea, as though trying to locate the final approach area, thinking they were close to the runway because of the airport lights. In the final nine seconds, the aircraft flew almost level with the sea at 150 kn; then, because of the wind, the aircraft lost its final altitude and impacted the water with its right wing. 108 of the 129 passengers and crew on board were killed.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Alitalia Flight 4128” (revision 1354518568, retrieved 2026-09-18) by its authors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Extracted as plain text: references, tables, images and some sections are left out. Read the article
Sources
Wikipedia article: Alitalia Flight 4128
- Article
- Alitalia Flight 4128
- Revision
- 1354518568 · 2026-05-16 · retrieved 2026-09-18
- Wikidata
- Q1439744
- Licence
- Text CC BY-SA 4.0, by the article's authors; Wikidata CC0; town positions GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where each value comes from
- Record
- Wikipedia article "Alitalia Flight 4128" (page 16287768, revision 1354518568)
- Date
- Wikipedia infobox: date
- Place and country
- Wikipedia infobox: site
- Map position
- Wikipedia article coordinates
- Aircraft, operator and route
- Wikipedia infobox: aircraft type, registration, operator, origin and destination; route airports from the linked airport articles' Wikidata codes (OurAirports)
- Operation
- airline flight number in the infobox
- Fatalities
- Wikipedia infobox: aircraft fatalities
- Ground fatalities
- not stated in the Wikipedia infobox
- Summary
- Wikipedia infobox: summary
Source notes (1)
- Wikipedia · Facts from the Wikipedia article's infobox and coordinates, not checked against an investigation report. Independent review pending.