45 Years ago today: On 20 August 1975 a CSA Ilyushin 62 crashed while approaching Damascus, killing 126 out of 128 occupants.
| Date: | Wednesday 20 August 1975 |
| Time: | 01:13 |
| Type: | Ilyushin Il-62 |
| Operator: | CSA Ceskoslovenské Aerolinie |
| Registration: | OK-DBF |
| C/n / msn: | 31502 |
| First flight: | 1973 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4000 |
| Engines: | 4 Kuznetsov NK-8-4 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 10 / Occupants: 10 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 116 / Occupants: 118 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 126 / Occupants: 128 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | 17 km (10.6 mls) NE of Damascus International Airport (DAM) ( |
| Phase: | Approach (APR) |
| Nature: | International Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Praha-Ruzyne International Airport (PRG/LKPR), Czech Republic |
| Destination airport: | Damascus International Airport (DAM/OSDI), Syria |
| Flightnumber: | OK540 |
Narrative:
CSA Flight 540, an Ilyushin Il-62, impacted terrain while approaching Damascus International Airport, Syria.
OK540 was a regular international service from Prague, Czechoslovakia, to Tehran, Iran with en route stops at Damascus, Syrian and Baghdad, Iraq. The Il-62, named “Brno Trade Fair”, took off from Prague at 19:35, August 19. The copilot was Pilot Flying on this leg.
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 at 605 m asl. The airplane broke up and caught fire. Two passengers survived the accident.
Probable Cause:
The probable cause could not be determined.
