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] Following the crash, the Czechoslovak government sent their condolences to the victims and Damascus.[3]
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. Purser Miroslav Peták was joined by a team of five cabin crew. In total there were 117 passengers and 11 crew on board.[4]
Accident
[edit]The plane crashed in an area of high desert approximately 17 km from Damascus Airport.[a]
Initially, 3 passengers survived but, one of the survivors, a boy died on the way to the hospital. That brought the death toll to 126 with 2 survivors.
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.
- ^ "Havárie čs. letadla u Damašku". Rudé právo (in Czech). Prague. 21 August 1975. p. 1. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
- ^ "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
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33°31′10″N 36°40′10″E / 33.5194°N 36.6694°E
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