Alitalia Flight 4128
I-DIKQ, the aircraft involved in the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 23 December 1978 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into water, pilot error |
| Site | |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 |
| Aircraft name | Isola di Stromboli |
| Operator | Alitalia |
| IATA flight No. | AZ4128 |
| ICAO flight No. | AZA4128 |
| Call sign | ALITALIA 4128 |
| Registration | I-DIKQ |
| Flight origin | Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome, Italy |
| Destination | Palermo International Airport, Palermo, Italy |
| Occupants | 129 |
| Passengers | 124 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 108 |
| Injuries | 20 |
| Survivors | 21 |
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 (1.9 mi) 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.