Date & Time:
Aug 20, 1975 at 0113 LT
Type of aircraft:
Ilyushin II-62
Operator:
Registration:
OK-DBF
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Desert
Schedule:
Prague - Damascus - Baghdad - Tehran
MSN:
31502
YOM:
1973
Flight number:
OK542
Country:
Syria
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
11
Crew fatalities:
11
Pax on board:
117
Pax fatalities:
115
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
126
Circumstances:
While approaching Damascus International Airport by night and excellent weather conditions, the crew failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when the airplane struck the ground at an altitude of 605 meters AMSL and crashed in flames in a desert area located about 18 km from the airport. Rescue teams arrived on scene about 30 minutes later and two passengers, two Syrian citizens, were rescued. All 126 other occupants were killed, among them 67 Czechs, 55 Syrians, 3 Polish and one East-German. At the time of the accident, weather conditions were ideal with good visibility despite the night and a wind from 230° at 10 knots.
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. However, it is believed that the accident may have been caused by a wrong altimeter setting after the crew mixed QNH and QFE values.
