Accident description
Last updated: 25 May 2013
| Status: | |
| Date: | 20 AUG 1975 |
| Time: | 01:13 |
| Type: | Ilyushin 62 |
| Operator: | CSA Ceskoslovenské Aerolinie |
| Registration: | OK-DBF |
| C/n / msn: | 31502 |
| First flight: | 1973 |
| Engines: | 4 Kuznetsov NK-8-4 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 11 / Occupants: 11 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 115 / Occupants: 117 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 126 / Occupants: 128 |
| Airplane damage: | Destroyed |
| Airplane fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | 17 km (10.6 mls) NE of Damascus International Airport (DAM) (Syria)
 |
| Phase: | Approach (APR) |
| Nature: | International Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Praha-Ruzyne International Airport (PRG/LKPR), Czech Republic |
| Damascus International Airport (DAM/OSDI), Syria | |
| Flightnumber: | 540 |
CSA Flight 540 was a regular international service from Prague (PRG) to Tehran (THR) via Damascus (DAM) and Baghdad (SDA). The Il-62 "Brno Trade Fair" took off from Prague at 19:35, August 19.
Past midnight local time, the airplane approached Damascus. Weather was fine with good visibility and wind 230 degrees at 10 kts. The flight was cleared for an approach to runway 23R. About 17 km from the airport, the Il-62 struck level ground 605m asl. The airplane broke up and caught fire.
It was deemed possible that the crew mixed up QNH and QFE while programming the altimeter.
Events:
Sources:
» Soviet Transports
Sample newspaper article from Newspaperarchive.com
Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Praha-Ruzyne International Airport to Damascus International Airport as the crow flies is 2579 km (1612 miles).
Distance from Praha-Ruzyne International Airport to Damascus International Airport as the crow flies is 2579 km (1612 miles).
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
Syria