Summary Terrorist bombing Crew 15 Aircraft type Boeing 720-023B Injuries (nonfatal) 0 Fatalities 81 (all) | Passengers 66 Survivors 0 Date 1 January 1976 Operator Middle East Airlines Location Saudi Arabia | |
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Site 37 km (23 mi) NW of Al Qaysumah, Saudi Arabia Destination Abu Dhabi International Airport Similar Indian Airlines Flight 171, Aeroflot Flight 418, EgyptAir Flight 864, American Airlines Flight 625, SAETA Flight 232 | ||
Middle East Airlines Flight 438 a Boeing 720B, callsign CEDAR JET 438, was en route from Beirut to Abu Dhabi on 1 January 1976 when a bomb exploded in the forward cargo compartment. The aircraft broke up at an altitude of 11,300 metres (37,100 ft) and crashed 37 km (23 mi) northwest of Al Qaysumah, Saudi Arabia, killing all of its 81 passengers and crew. The bombers were never identified. Lebanon was going through a civil war at the time and the bombing is most likely connected in some way to this war.
References
Middle East Airlines Flight 438 Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA