Summary CFIT on approach Crew 11 Survivors 2 Date 20 August 1975 Site Syria Operator Czech Airlines | Passengers 117 Fatalities 126 Aircraft type Ilyushin Il-62 Number of deaths 126 Injuries (nonfatal) 2 | |
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Destination Mehrabad International Airport Similar Agadir air disaster, ČSA Flight 001, Interflug Flight 1107, Malév Flight 240, Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 | ||
ČSA Flight 540 was a regular international service from Prague to Tehran via Damascus and Baghdad. The flight, operated by Ilyushin Il-62 Brno Trade Fair, was on approach to runway 23R at Damascus International Airport on 20 August 1975, descending in clear weather, when it crashed 17 km (11 mi) from the airport. The aircraft broke up and caught fire on impact; 126 of the 128 passengers and crew on board died in the accident in Syria's worst ever air disaster, also the worst air disaster for the airline.
The cause of the crash was determined to be the flight crew's failure to maintain the minimum flight altitude.
References
ČSA Flight 540 Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA