Date:	Saturday 2 February 2013
Time:	20:32
Type:	ATR 72-212A (ATR 72-500)
Owner/operator:	Alitalia
Registration:	YR-ATS
MSN:	533
Year of manufacture:	1997
Total airframe hrs:	24088 hours
Engine model:	Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127F
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 50
Aircraft damage:	Substantial, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	Roma-Fiumicino Airport (FCO) -   Italy
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Pisa-Galileo Galilei Airport (PSA/LIRP)
Destination airport:	Roma-Fiumicino Airport (FCO/LIRF)
Investigating agency:	ANSV
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
An ATR-72 passenger plane, registered YR-ATS, sustained substantial damage in a landing accident at Roma-Fiumicino Airport (FCO), Italy. Of the 50 occupants, five sustained serious injuries.
Alitalia flight 1670 had departed Pisa-Galileo Galilei Airport (PSA) on a domestic flight to Roma-Fiumicino Airport (FCO). This flight was operated by Carpatair on behalf of Alitalia.
The airplane flew the approach in strong cross wind conditions with wind shear reported at runway 16L some fifteen minutes before the landing. Shortly before touchdown the airplane suddenly lost altitude and impacted the runway with the nose landing gear. This was at a distance of 567 meters from the runway threshold.
It bounced three times, causing the nose and main gear to collapse. The airplane slid off the left side of the runway and came to rest in the grass near taxiway DE, at a distance of about 1780 meters from the runway threshold. The aircraft had also performed a rotation on the vertical axis of 170°, thus assuming a definitive orientation of about 330° magnetic. It came to rest 400 m from fire station no. 1. However, it took the fire services ten minutes to reach the airplane because they were not aware of the precise location of the accident.

The airplane landed in strong winds from 250 degrees on runway 16L. Runway 25 at Fiumicino was Notamed not available for landings due to work in progress.
The Fiumicino Notam reported at the time of the accident of the following limitations of the runway 16L ILS:
- LOCALIZER AT 17NM MRA 3000FT AND AT 25NM MRA 4000FT
- GLIDE PATH COVERAGE REDUCED AT 8.5NM

The ATR 72-212 has a demonstrated maximum crosswind component of 35 kts on a dry runway.

CAUSES: (translated from Italian)
The accident is due to the human factor. In particular, it was caused by an improper conduct of the aircraft by the PF (commander) during landing, not consistent with the provisions of the operator's manuals, in an environmental context characterized by the presence of significant criticality (presence of crosswind with values at the limit/excess those allowed for the ATR 72) and in the absence of an effective CRM.
The following factors may have contributed to the event.
- The failure to carry out the landing briefing, which, in addition to being required by company regulations, would have been an important moment of pooling and acceptance of information fundamental to the safety of operations.
- The maintenance of a V APP significantly higher than expected.
- The conviction of the commander (PF), deriving from his considerable general and specific experience on the aircraft in question, to be able to conduct a safe landing in spite of the presence of critical wind conditions for the type of aircraft.
- The considerable difference in experience between the commander and the first officer, which has reasonably prevented the latter from showing his critical capacity, thus rendering CRM techniques ineffective.
After the accident, the application of the PEA revealed some critical issues, which did not allow to carry out in a timely and effective manner the search and rescue of the aircraft and its occupants.

19:20 UTC / 20:20 local time:
LIRF 021920Z 25028G41KT 9999 SCT023 SCT040 11/04 Q0992 WS RWY 16L NOSIG
Wind 250 degrees at 28 knots, gusting to 41 knots; Visibility: 10+ km; Scattered clouds at 2200 feet AGL and 4000 feet AGL; Temperature: 11°C; Dewpoint: 4°C; Pressure: 992 mb; Windshear at runway 16L

19:50 UTC / 20:50 local time:
LIRF 021950Z 25023KT 9999 SCT023 SCT040 11/03 Q0992 NOSIG

20:20 UTC / 21:20 local time:
LIRF 022020Z 25022G32KT 9999 SCT022 BKN040 11/03 Q0992 NOSIG

Repubblica
BEA

photo (c) Werner Fischdick; Nassau International Airport (NAS/MYNN); 04 April 2002

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