ČSA Flight 540
ČSA Flight 540 was a regularly scheduled international flight from Prague, Czechoslovakia to Tehran, Iran via Damascus, Syria and Baghdad, Iraq. On 20 August 1975, the flight, operated by an Ilyushin Il-62, crashed 17 km (11 mi) from Damascus International Airport while descending at night in clear weather, breaking up and catching fire on impact.[1] 126 of the 128 passengers and crew died in the accident, making it Syria's worst air disaster and the worst air disaster for the airline.[2]
Aircraft and crew
The aircraft involved was an Ilyushin Il-62 with registration OK-DBF. It was produced in 1973 and delivered to the airline in the same year. The aircraft was named Brno Trade Fair. [1]
At the time of the accident, the flight captain was Ján Gajdoš (54) with 19 000 flight hours (circa 3000 on Il-62), who led the crew consisting of co-pilot Stanislav Žižka (50) with 15 000 flight hours (circa 2500 on Il-62), navigator František Aulík (43), and flight engineers Karel Hasman (48) and Vladimír Hejduk, who was just off duty. The rest crew was also very experienced and had over 10,000 hours of flight time. 117 passengers were served by a team of six flight attendants.[3]
Accident
The plane crashed in an area of high desert approximately 17 km from Damascus Airport.[a]
References
- ^ a b c Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Ilyushin 62 OK-DBF Damascus International Airport (DAM)". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
- ^ "Czech plane crash in desert, 126 dead". Eugene Register-Guard. 20 August 1975. Retrieved 30 January 2017 – via Google News.
- ^ "Utajená tragédie letu ČSA fotky" [The secret tragedy of the ČSA flight photos]. tiscali.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 4 April 2024.
Notes
External links
33°31′10″N 36°40′10″E / 33.5194°N 36.6694°E