The crash of Alitalia Flight 618 was an accident involving a Douglas DC-7C of the Italian airline Alitalia in Shannon, Ireland, on 26 February 1960. Of the 52 people on board, only 18 survived with serious injuries.[1]
Alitalia Flight 618
A Swiss Air DC-7, similar to the aircraft involved in the accident.
On the morning of 26 February 1960, Flight 618 arrived at its first stopover at Shannon Airport for refueling in order to continue its journey across the Atlantic, while under the supervision of a check pilot. The flight had been given permission to take off from runway 05 with a clear but still dark and partially overcast sky just 45 minutes after its initial arrival. Takeoff proceeded without issue and the crew retracted the gear before making a left turn when the aircraft had climbed to a height of 165 ft (50 m) with the landing lights still on. While turning, the aircraft's power was reduced slightly but the flaps were never fully retracted. Instead of climbing, the airliner only accelerated and lost altitude very quickly. The pilots were unable to prevent the left wing tip from striking a stone wall near the Clonloghan church followed by the left engines and the rest of the wing which also struck several gravestones of the surrounding cemetery. At this point the aircraft's fate was sealed and after the propellers of the right engine also scraped past the wall, the out of control aircraft slammed into the ground in an open field beyond the cemetery and burst into flames.[2]
The post-crash fire quickly engulfed the aircraft and badly burned most of the survivors, as locals and rescue workers arrived at the scene. The fire gutted the wreckage, leaving the tail section as the only recognizable part left of the aircraft. The crash also took its toll on the passengers and crew on board, with only a single crew member surviving the crash alongside 17 passengers, who were all seriously injured.[3]
Aircraft
The Douglas DC-7C involved, I-DUVO (msn 45231) was built in 1958 and was used by Alitalia from 1958 until its destruction in 1960.[4]
Aftermath
The aircraft was destroyed by the impact and post-crash fire with the wreckage being documented on film and by photography. An investigation of the accident revealed the aircraft speed at impact as between 170 and 180 knots. Investigators failed to find any evidence pointing to the cause of the crash.[1]
^"CRASH OF A DOUGLAS DC-7C IN SHANNON: 34 KILLED". baaa-acro.com. Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. Retrieved 17 July 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^"1960 plane crash commemorated". clarechampion.ie. 27 May 2010. Retrieved 17 July 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^"Irish air disasters: the most significant crashes". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 11 February 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
January 31, 2023
alitalia, flight, crash, accident, involving, douglas, italian, airline, alitalia, shannon, ireland, february, 1960, people, board, only, survived, with, serious, injuries, swiss, similar, aircraft, involved, accident, accidentdate26, february, 1960, 1960, sum. The crash of Alitalia Flight 618 was an accident involving a Douglas DC 7C of the Italian airline Alitalia in Shannon Ireland on 26 February 1960 Of the 52 people on board only 18 survived with serious injuries 1 Alitalia Flight 618A Swiss Air DC 7 similar to the aircraft involved in the accident AccidentDate26 February 1960 1960 02 26 SummaryCause unknown possible controlled flight into terrainSiteShannon AirportAircraftAircraft typeDouglas DC 7COperatorAlitaliaRegistrationI DUVOFlight originRoma Ciampino Airport CIA LIRA ItalyStopoverShannon Airport SNN EINN Ireland1st stopoverGander Airport NL YQX CYQX CanadaDestinationNew York Idlewild International Airport NY IDL KIDL United StatesOccupants52Passengers40Crew12Fatalities34Injuries18Survivors18 Contents 1 Accident 2 Aircraft 3 Aftermath 4 ReferencesAccident EditOn the morning of 26 February 1960 Flight 618 arrived at its first stopover at Shannon Airport for refueling in order to continue its journey across the Atlantic while under the supervision of a check pilot The flight had been given permission to take off from runway 05 with a clear but still dark and partially overcast sky just 45 minutes after its initial arrival Takeoff proceeded without issue and the crew retracted the gear before making a left turn when the aircraft had climbed to a height of 165 ft 50 m with the landing lights still on While turning the aircraft s power was reduced slightly but the flaps were never fully retracted Instead of climbing the airliner only accelerated and lost altitude very quickly The pilots were unable to prevent the left wing tip from striking a stone wall near the Clonloghan church followed by the left engines and the rest of the wing which also struck several gravestones of the surrounding cemetery At this point the aircraft s fate was sealed and after the propellers of the right engine also scraped past the wall the out of control aircraft slammed into the ground in an open field beyond the cemetery and burst into flames 2 The post crash fire quickly engulfed the aircraft and badly burned most of the survivors as locals and rescue workers arrived at the scene The fire gutted the wreckage leaving the tail section as the only recognizable part left of the aircraft The crash also took its toll on the passengers and crew on board with only a single crew member surviving the crash alongside 17 passengers who were all seriously injured 3 Aircraft EditThe Douglas DC 7C involved I DUVO msn 45231 was built in 1958 and was used by Alitalia from 1958 until its destruction in 1960 4 Aftermath EditThe aircraft was destroyed by the impact and post crash fire with the wreckage being documented on film and by photography An investigation of the accident revealed the aircraft speed at impact as between 170 and 180 knots Investigators failed to find any evidence pointing to the cause of the crash 1 References EditPortals Ireland Italy Aviation a b Ranter Harro 1996 Accident description aviation safety net Aviation Safety Network Retrieved 17 July 2020 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link CRASH OF A DOUGLAS DC 7C IN SHANNON 34 KILLED baaa acro com Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives Retrieved 17 July 2020 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link 1960 plane crash commemorated clarechampion ie 27 May 2010 Retrieved 17 July 2020 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Irish air disasters the most significant crashes irishtimes com Irish Times 11 February 2011 Retrieved 17 July 2020 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Alitalia Flight 618 amp oldid 1129002232, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
