Human fatigue and the crash of the airship Italia

• Published in: Polar Research
• Main Authors: Gregg A. Bendrick, Scott A. Beckett, Elizabeth B. Klerman
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Norwegian Polar Institute 2016
• Subjects: Sleep; Nobile; polar exploration; aviation history; human error; mishap; Environmental sciences; GE1-350; Oceanography; GC1-1581; North Pole; Polar Research
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v35.27105; https://doaj.org/article/fb775136b278448a80f86330bfc7b341

The airship Italia, commanded by General Umberto Nobile, crashed during its return flight from the North Pole in 1928. The cause of the accident was never satisfactorily explained. We present evidence that the crash may have been fatigue-related. Nobile's memoirs indicate that at the time of th...