Narrative:The aircraft lost its orientation due to the cloudy weather and was circling over Kalamata city (South-West Peloponnesos, instead of Athens). In the time of the event, there were military operations in process in that area.
There are conflicting reports about the circumstances of the accident. It has been suggested that the aircraft suffered a controlled flight into terrain due to poor weather. Other accounts say that when the pilot transmitted a flare, this was treated as a threat and the airplane was fired upon from the ground.
A third account states that communist insurgents thought the aircraft was going to drop weapons, so they lit flares to signal a landing area for parachutes. The pilot thought the flares were outlining an emergency landing strip. As he descended, the aircraft impacted a hillside.
The airplane was operating on a flight from Prague, Czechoslovakia to Lydda, Israel, with en route stops at Rome and Athens.
Sources:
» Ronan Hubert
» Thomas Brügge
»
Athenian Newspaper ????T???? (Eleftheria), 24-Dec-1948 pg 1
Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does
not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Roma-Ciampino Airport to Athens-Ellinikon International Airport as the crow flies is 1037 km (648 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.