Unsolved:ČSA Flight 540
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 OK-DBF, the aircraft involved in the accident, photographed in 1974 with a previous livery | |
| 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
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
The plane crashed in an area of high desert approximately 17 km from Damascus Airport.[lower-alpha 1]
Initially there were 3 survivors, but one of them, a boy died on the way to the hospital. That brought the death toll to 126 with 2 survivors.[2]
| Nationality | Passengers | Crew | Survivors | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Czechoslovakia |
52 | 11 | 0 | 63 |
 Syria |
25 | 0 | 1 | 25 |
 Poland |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
 Spain |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Hungary |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 East Germany |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Template:Country data Unknown | 34 | 0 | 1 | 34 |
| Total | 117 | 11 | 2 | 128 |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Ilyushin 62 OK-DBF Damascus International Airport (DAM)". Flight Safety Foundation. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19750820-0. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Czech plane crash in desert, 126 dead". Eugene Register-Guard. 20 August 1975. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=a61VAAAAIBAJ&pg=4862,4961259&dq=czech%20damascus%20crash&hl=en.
- ↑ "Havárie čs. letadla u Damašku" (in cs). Rudé právo (Prague): p. 1. 21 August 1975. https://archiv.ucl.cas.cz/index.php?path=RudePravo/1975/8/21/1.png.
- ↑ "Utajená tragédie letu ČSA fotky" (in cs). https://foto.zpravy.tiscali.cz/utajena-tragedie-letu-csa-20930.
Notes
External links
Note: This topic belongs to "Czech Republic" portal
Template:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1975 Template:Aviation accidents and incidents in Syria
[ ⚑ ] 33°31′10″N 36°40′10″E / 33.5194°N 36.6694°E
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