ČSA Flight 540


ČSA Flight 540 was a regular international service from Prague to Tehran via Damascus and Baghdad. The flight, operated by Ilyushin Il-62 Brno Trade Fair, was on approach to runway 23R at Damascus International Airport on 20 August 1975, descending in clear weather, when it crashed from the airport. The aircraft broke up and caught fire on impact; 126 of the 128 passengers and crew on board died in the accident in Syria's worst ever air disaster, also the worst air disaster for the airline.
The cause of the crash was determined to be the flight crew's failure to maintain the minimum flight altitude.