45 Years ago today: On 21 September 1977 a Malev Tupolev Tu-134 suffered a CFIT accident on approach to Bucharest, Romania, killing 29 out of 53 occupants.
| Date: | Wednesday 21 September 1977 |
| Time: | 16:59 UTC |
| Type: | Tupolev Tu-134 |
| Operator: | Malev Hungarian Airlines |
| Registration: | HA-LBC |
| MSN: | 8350605 |
| First flight: | 1968 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 10547 |
| Cycles: | 8920 |
| Engines: | 2 Soloviev D-30 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 8 / Occupants: 8 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 21 / Occupants: 45 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 29 / Occupants: 53 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | 6,3 km (3.9 mls) SW of Urziceni ( |
| Crash site elevation: | 55 m (180 feet) amsl |
| Phase: | Approach (APR) |
| Nature: | International Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Istanbul-Yesilköy Airport (IST/LTBA), Turkey |
| Destination airport: | Bucharest-Otopeni International Airport (OTP/LROP), Romania |
| Flightnumber: | MA203 |
Narrative:
Malev Hungarian Airlines flight 203, a Tupolev Tu-134, was a scheduled service from Istanbul to Budapest with an intermediate stop at Bucharest, Romania.
On the first leg, while at FL40, the crew were cleared to descend to 600 metres to the Ope NDB and prepare for a straight-in approach to runway 26 at Bucharest-Otopeni Airport. The aircraft struck level ground at an elevation of 55 m and crashed.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: The aircraft had been flown at reduced power, leading to a gradual loss of altitude, unnoticed by the crew.
