Date:	Saturday 27 January 1951
Time:	14:40
Type:	Savoia-Marchetti SM-95B
Owner/operator:	Alitalia
Registration:	I-DALO
MSN:	10
Year of manufacture:	1948
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 14 / Occupants: 17
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	8 km N of Civitavecchia -   Italy
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Paris-Le Bourget Airport (LBG/LFPB)
Destination airport:	Roma-Ciampino Airport (CIA/LIRA)
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
An Alitalia Savoia-Marchetti SM.95 crashed following a lightning strike while on approach to Roma-Ciampino Airport, Italy, killing 14 occupants; 3 survived the accident.

The SM-95B aircraft named "Ugolino Vivaldi" departed Paris at 10:16 for a flight to Rome. At 14:36 the crew reported over the Civitavecchia beacon at 6500 feet. A few minutes later, the aircraft was then seen descending in flames rapidly. The plane banked to the left heavily and crashed. The same aircraft on the same route with the same pilot on board had experienced a similar accident on 17 May 1949 near Lyon and had made a successful emergency landing at Lyon Airport with a two-meter right wing tip section missing.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "Fire in flight, due to lightning striking the wing frame of the aircraft and igniting a mixture of air and petrol fumes in one of the wing panels or fuel tanks."

ICAO Aircraft Accident Digest No.2, Circular 24-AN/21 (55-58)
1945-1960 I trasporti aerei in Italia dalla guerra all'era del getto / Paolo Gianvanni

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
02-Jan-2025 08:57	ASN	Updated [Narrative, ]