Malév Flight 240
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| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | September 30, 1975 |
| Summary | Unknown |
| Site | Mediterranean sea, near Beirut |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Tupolev Tu-154B |
| Operator | MALÉV - Hungarian Airlines |
| Registration | HA-LCI |
| Flight origin | Budapest - Ferihegy airport |
| Destination | Beirut - Rafic Hariri airport |
| Passengers | 50 |
| Crew | 10 |
| Fatalities | 60 (all) |
| Survivors | 0 |
Malév Flight 240, was a Tupolev Tu-154 tri-motor jetliner of Malév Hungarian Airlines, which was flying on the Budapest to Beirut regular route when it crashed near the Lebanese shoreline on 30 September 1975. All 50 passengers and 10 crew on board died. No official statement was ever made on the crash and its cause has never been publicly revealed.[1]
In recent years, rumors persist that the plane was shot down, either because it carried arms to some Arab group, or because it was supposed to carry the members of a PLO delegation (but in the end did not). Possible attackers include Israel or Syria.
On September 27, 2007, György Szilvásy, then Minister of Civil Intelligence Services wrote in a letter[2] to Róbert Répássy (Fidesz), member of the Hungarian Parliament, that the Hungarian Office of National Security produced a report on the crash in 2003. The report can be summarized as follows: There are no available original (secret service) documents concerning the case. The report remains top secret, for reasons not connected to the crash.
On January 6, 2009 questions relating to this crash were put forward to the European Commission.[3]
References
- ^ The Lost Flight - Malév 240 Airliners.net
- ^ Szilvásy's letter (in Hungarian)
- ^ Written question to EU Commission
External links
- Accident Synopsis » 09301975, Airdisaster.com
- An article of the Hungarian weekly Hetek.
- A harminc évvel ezelőtti Malév-katasztrófa titka
- The Lost Malev