Alitalia’s A320 crashes at Roma Fiumicino airport

Alitalia’s flight AZ-63 crashed onto the runway after a landing gear malfunction. The accident happened at Roma Fiumicino airport at 20:10 on Sunday. The report states that on the initial approach the pilots noticed that there was a warning about the landing gear and it was deemed unsafe. The flight crew tried to resolve the issue, while still in-flight but their efforts were unsuccessful. The airplane then performed a low approach so that the malfunction could be inspected from the ground.

It was then revealed that the right hand main gear was still retracted and could not be deployed. After 25 minutes from the low pass the main gear doors were still not opening and the aircraft prepared for an emergency landing on runway 16L. The runway was covered with foam to prevent the plane from skidding of the runway and causing more damage.

The flight was carrying 151 passengers from Madrid to Rome. During the landing 10 passengers suffered minor injuries and were treated immediately at the airport. Italy’s ANSV has opened an investigation into the accident.