ČSA Flight 540
 | You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Czech. (January 2017) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
 OK-DBF, the aircraft involved in the accident, photographed in 1974 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 20 August 1975 |
| Summary | Undetermined |
| Site | 17 km NE of Damascus International Airport, Syria |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Ilyushin Il-62 |
| Aircraft name | Brno Trade Fair |
| Operator | ČSA (Československé Státní Aerolinie) |
| IATA flight No. | OK540 |
| ICAO flight No. | CSA540 |
| Call sign | CSA-LINES 540 |
| Registration | OK-DBF |
| Flight origin | Prague-Ruzyně International Airport, Czechoslovakia |
| 1st stopover | Damascus International Airport, Syria |
| 2nd stopover | Baghdad International Airport, Iraq |
| Destination | Mehrabad International Airport, Iran |
| Occupants | 128 |
| Passengers | 117 |
| Crew | 11 |
| Fatalities | 126 |
| Injuries | 2 |
| Survivors | 2 |
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
[edit]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
[edit]The plane crashed in an area of high desert approximately 17 km from Damascus Airport.[a]
References
[edit]- ^ 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
[edit]External links
[edit]33°31′10″N 36°40′10″E / 33.5194°N 36.6694°E
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