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ÄŒSA Flight 540
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. 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. Following the crash, the Czechoslovak government sent their condolences to the victims and Damascus. 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''. 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 0 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Damascus International Airport
Damascus International Airport () is the international airport of Damascus, the capital of Syria and the home base of the national flag carrier airline, Syrian Air. Damascus International Airport serves as a primary gateway to Syria and is one of the largest airports in the country along with Aleppo International Airport and Latakia International Airport. Inaugurated in the mid-1970s, it also was the country's busiest airport. In 2010, an estimated 5.5 million passengers used the airport, an increase of more than 50% since 2004. The ongoing Syrian civil war, civil war has caused many airlines to terminate their flights to and from Damascus, cutting much of the city's population off from international flights. History Establishment and early years In 1965 the construction of the airport was entrusted to a group of French companies (Société de construction des Batignolles, SCB, Compagnie générale de la télégraphie sans fil, CSF, SPIE SA, Spie and Cegelec), led by the S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
