USTICA — 1980 · Major Tragedy
The Ustica Disaster
On the evening of 27 June 1980, an Itavia DC-9 flying from Bologna to Palermo crashed into the Tyrrhenian Sea near the island of Ustica off Sicily, killing all 81 people on board. Early statements pointed to technical failure, but later examination showed the aircraft had been brought down by an explosion. A technical panel argued the blast occurred inside the plane, while Judge Rosario Priore's 1999 report concluded it was downed during military air activity in the area. In 2013 the civil section of Italy's Court of Cassation found the missile theory well founded and ordered the state to pay compensation. Those responsible have never been identified; in Italy the event is called the 'Ustica massacre'.
- Date
- 1980
- Place
- Sicily, Italy, Ustica, IT
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Unsolved
- Coordinates
- 38.7000, 13.1900 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 27 June 1980Itavia Flight 870 crashed into the sea near Ustica; 81 people died.
- 1980sThe wreckage was recovered and found to have been brought down by an explosion.
- 1999Judge Priore concluded the plane was downed during a military air incident.
- 2008Former President Cossiga said a missile from a foreign warplane downed the aircraft.
- 2013The Cassation's civil section accepted the missile theory and ordered compensation.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Itavia Flight 870 en.wikipedia.org ↗
- Il Messaggero — The Ustica Tragedy: Unresolved Questions ilmessaggero.it ↗
- CBS News — Italy asks France about 1980 plane crash cbsnews.com ↗
- Wikipedia
- Il Messaggero
- CBS News
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.