Si Fly Flight 3275

Si Fly Flight 3275 (KSV3275) was a non-scheduled international passenger flight from the Italian capital of Rome to Pristina, Kosovo. The flight was operated by Italian airliner Si Fly using an ATR 42-300 series. On 12 November 1999, the aircraft struck a mountain during the approach to Pristina, killing everyone on board. With 24 deaths, the accident remains as the deadliest aviation disaster in Kosovo's history.

The investigation attributed the causes of the crash to multiple factors. The crew was experiencing fatigue due to their high roster and failed to execute the appropriate approach procedure to Pristina. The on-duty ATC personnel accidentally forgot to track the flight during the approach phase and did not pay enough attention during radar vectoring. Due to these issues combined with the faulty GPWS warning system, which was caused by the company's decision to postpone the rectification of the device, the aircraft failed to fly clear of terrain and crashed onto the mountain.

Background

From 1998 to 1999, a war between the Federal Government of Yugoslavia and Kosovo Liberation Army broke out in Kosovo. Due to reports of ethnic cleansing of Albanians, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces invaded Yugoslavia in March 1999, resulting in the closure of airspace within the area of conflict. The United Nations passed Resolution 1244 and thus all civil activities were handed over to United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). The resolution also stated that the Kosovo Force (KFOR) would be deployed in order to maintain peace. An agreement was signed to define the airspace that would be controlled by the KFOR.

Following the result of agreements that was signed in June 1999 in Helsinki, the operation of Pristina Airport was handed over to the Russian Army. At the same time, members of United Kingdom's Royal Air Force were ordered to be in charge of the air traffic control services and meteorological services in Pristina. The first RAF detachment arrived in June and the airport was reopened in July. Commercial flight at the airport was resumed in October.

Flight

Flight 3275 was a shuttle flight from Rome's Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport to Pristina International Airport in Kosovo. It was a six-day-a-week flight and was chartered by World Food Programme for aid works in Kosovo following the war in the region. The flight was mainly used by aid workers, UN officials and journalists.

Flight 3275 departed Rome at 09:11 a.m for Pristina, Kosovo with 3 crew members and 21 passengers. The flight was piloted by Captain Andrea Maccaferro and Antonio Canzolino. After flying for nearly two hours, the aircraft reached the Macedonian airspace and the communication was handed over from Skopje ATC to Pristina ATC. After being identified by Pristina, the flight crew changed their flight conditions to visual flight rules (VFR). At 10:58 a.m, Pristina gave a series of headings for the crew to intercept the airport's ILS, which was acknowledged by Flight 3275. The controller reminded the crew that the airport could only provide limited radar service due to poor radar performance. He then gave the crew another heading and asked them to descend to 5,200 ft before he ordered another descent to 4,600 ft.

Disappearance

While approaching the airport, the crew decided to make a call to Pristina ATC. The controller stated that he could hear them loud and clear, adding that they were number two for landing and giving the crew an advice regarding the presence of another aircraft which was located approximately 5 miles ahead of them. He later asked the crew to stay on their heading and turned his attention towards the other flights. At 11:13 a.m, the crew declared "I want to land" and the controller gave another heading to the crew. After confirming their position, the controller gave the last heading of 180. The crew responded "Kosovo three two seven five roger turn left heading one eight zero". This was the last transmission from Flight 3275.