The IH 870 Ustica Disaster

If, in 2021, more than 40 years after the accident that occurred on 27 June 1980, we are still talking about a "mystery", it is because in Italy they have not followed the procedure that all the countries of the world adopt in the aftermath of an aviation disaster. A technical commission is appointed, made up of experienced aviation investigators, who will tell us why the accident happened. If, in the course of the investigation, it turns out that the disaster was caused by an unlawful act against the aircraft, i.e. a bomb, bombing, air attack, missiles, etc., a judicial investigation is also launched in parallel to find out who committed the unlawful act. In any case, the two investigations must be kept separate. Not only that, but by international practice, the technical investigation must be sent to the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO, in Montreal for inclusion in that organisation's database. In the case of the Ustica accident involving an Itavia DC9, which is unique in the world, an anomalous procedure was followed whereby the judicial authority, which should have been responsible only for identifying the culprit, also had the task of determining the causes of the accident. The investigation would have been very different if it had been conducted by experienced aviation safety investigators who would certainly have been able to reach a firm conclusion on the causes of the accident.