Remarks: Fifty years ago the Lybian desert returned the wreck of a SIAI Marchetti S.79 and remains of its crew. The discovery, which occurred during an AGIP oil survey, made a large impression in Italy and is still periodically recalled in the press. Everything started on 21 July 1960 with the finding of an airman’s body near the Gialo-Giarabub path. This was linked with previous reports of an aircraft in the sand and led to an intensive search, carried out with the assistance of an AGIP helicopter. At last on 5 October 1960 the S.79 was found at longitude 23°21’50” an latitude 28°49’50”.Research allowed the S.79 to be identified as MM.23881, a 278th Squadron torpedo-bomber that had taken off from Benghazi on 21 April 1941 at 1725 hrs to attack British shipping, without returning. On the return leg the S.79 lost its way for reason unknown and made an emergency landing some 500 km from its starting point. The body found about 90 km away identified as airman Romanini, who had died in an attempt to call rescue. None of the crew survived. Only the unplanned find made it possible to ascertain the fate of the ill-fated crew and to bury the men with military honors. On display at the Museum of aviation “Volandia” at the Malpensa Milan international airport, Terminal 2
Remarks: Wing view as taken from seat 46A while cruising as FL340 on our morning flight from Tel-Aviv to Milan Malpensa as LY381 [Canon 1000D + 28-80mm]
