ČSA Flight 540

Československé Státní Aerolinie (ČSA) Flight 540

OK-DBF, the aircraft involved in the accident, photographed in 1974 with a previous livery
Accident
Date	20 August 1975
Summary	Undetermined
Site	17 km NE of Damascus International Airport, Syria
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Ilyushin Il-62
Aircraft name	Brno Trade Fair
Operator	ČSA (Československé Státní Aerolinie)
IATA flight No.	OK540
ICAO flight No.	CSA540
Call sign	CSA-LINES 540
Registration	OK-DBF
Flight origin	Prague-Ruzyně International Airport, Czechoslovakia
1st stopover	Damascus International Airport, Syria
2nd stopover	Baghdad International Airport, Iraq
Destination	Mehrabad International Airport, Iran
Occupants	128
Passengers	117
Crew	11
Fatalities	126
Injuries	2
Survivors	2

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. ^[1] 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. ^[2] Following the crash, the Czechoslovak government sent their condolences to the victims and Damascus. ^[3]

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. ^[1]

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 15,000 flight hours (circa 2500 on Il-62), navigator František Aulík (43), and flight engineers Karel Hasman (48) and Vladimír Hejduk, who was just off duty. Purser Miroslav Peták was joined by a team of five cabin crew. In total, there were 117 passengers and 11 crew on board. ^[4]

Accident

The plane crashed in an area of high desert approximately 17 km from Damascus Airport. ^[a]

Initially there were 3 survivors, but one of them, a boy died on the way to the hospital. That brought the death toll to 126 with 2 survivors. ^[2]

Nationality	Passengers	Crew	Survivors	Total
Czechoslovakia	52	11	0	63
Syria	25	0	1	25
Poland	3	0	0	3
Spain	1	0	0	1
Hungary	1	0	0	1
East Germany	1	0	0	1
Unknown	34	0	1	34
Total	117	11	2	128

References

1. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Ilyushin 62 OK-DBF Damascus International Airport (DAM)". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation . Retrieved 30 January 2017.
2. "Czech plane crash in desert, 126 dead". Eugene Register-Guard. 20 August 1975. Retrieved 30 January 2017– via Google News.
3. "Havárie čs. letadla u Damašku". Rudé právo (in Czech). Prague. 21 August 1975. p. 1. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
4. "Utajená tragédie letu ČSA fotky" [The secret tragedy of the ČSA flight photos]. tiscali.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 4 April 2024.

Notes

1. The crash site is at 605 metres (1,985 ft) AMSL. ^[1]

External links

• Czech Republic portal
• Aviation portal
• 1970s portal

• ČSA Flight 540 at PlaneCrashinfo.com

33°31′10″N36°40′10″E / 33.5194°N 36.6694°E / 33.5194; 36.6694