El Al Flight 402, a Lockheed L-049 Constellation turboprop, registered 4X-AKC, was an international passenger flight from Vienna, Austria to Tel Aviv, Israel via Istanbul, Turkey, on July 27, 1955, which strayed into Bulgarian airspace and was shot down by two Bulgarian MiG-15 jet fighters and crashed near Petrich, Bulgaria. All 7 crew and 51 passengers on board the airliner were killed.^[1][2] July 27 is the 208th day (209th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 157 days remaining. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Petrich is a small town in the Blagoevgrad district in Bulgaria, located at the foot of the Belasitza. ... The Lockheed SR-71, remarkably advanced for its time and unsurpassed in many areas of performance The Lockheed U-2 first flew in 1955 providing much needed intelligence on Soviet bloc countries Lockheed Corporation was an aerospace company founded in 1912 which merged with Martin Marietta in 1995 to form... The Lockheed Constellation, affectionately known as the “Connie”, was a four-engine propeller-driven airliner built by Lockheed between 1943 and 1958 at its Burbank, California, USA, facility. ... Categories: Airline stubs | Companies of Israel | Transportation in Israel | Airlines of Israel ... Categories: Airline stubs | Companies of Israel | Transportation in Israel | Airlines of Israel ... The Lockheed SR-71, remarkably advanced for its time and unsurpassed in many areas of performance The Lockheed U-2 first flew in 1955 providing much needed intelligence on Soviet bloc countries Lockheed Corporation was an aerospace company founded in 1912 which merged with Martin Marietta in 1995 to form... The Lockheed Constellation, affectionately known as the “Connie”, was a four-engine propeller-driven airliner built by Lockheed between 1943 and 1958 at its Burbank, California, USA, facility. ... A schematic diagram showing the operation of a turboprop engine. ... Vienna (German: , see also other names) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... Tel-Aviv was founded on empty dunes north of the existing city of Jaffa. ... Istanbul (Turkish: , Greek: , historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural and financial center. ... July 27 is the 208th day (209th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 157 days remaining. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (Russian: ) (NATO reporting name Fagot) was a jet fighter developed for the USSR by Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich. ... Petrich is a small town in the Blagoevgrad district in Bulgaria, located at the foot of the Belasitza. ...

Flight history

The Constellation turboprop originated its scheduled weekly flight from London, England, and departed Vienna's Wien-Schwechat International Airport (VIE) at 02:53, bound to Tel Aviv's Lod Airport (since renamed to Ben Gurion International Airport) via Istanbul. Using NDB navigation, with thunderstorm activity in the area,^[3] the crew believed they were over the Skopje radio beacon, and turned to an outbound course of 142 degrees. Flying at FL180 (an altitude of approximately 18,000 feet above mean sea level), the aircraft inadvertently strayed off the Amber 10 airway into Bulgarian territory, where it was intercepted and strafed by two Bulgarian MiG-15 "Fagot" jet fighters. The airliner descended, breaking apart at 2,000 feet, and crashing in flames north of the town of Petrich, Bulgaria, near the Yugoslav and Greek borders, killing the 7 crew and 51 passengers on board.^[1] This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... Vienna International Airport (IATA: VIE, ICAO: LOWW) (German: Flughafen Wien-Schwechat), located 18 kilometers (11 miles) southeast of Vienna, is the busiest airport in Austria. ... Tel-Aviv was founded on empty dunes north of the existing city of Jaffa. ... Ben Gurion International Airport or Ben Gurion Airport (Hebrew: ‎) (IATA: TLV, ICAO: LLBG), once widely known as Lod Airport, is located near Lod, 15 km southeast of Tel Aviv, and is the largest international airport in Israel. ... Ben Gurion International Airport or Ben Gurion Airport (Hebrew: ‎) (IATA: TLV, ICAO: LLBG), once widely known as Lod Airport, is located near Lod, 15 km southeast of Tel Aviv, and is the largest international airport in Israel. ... Istanbul (Turkish: , Greek: , historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural and financial center. ... A non-directional beacon (NDB) is a radio broadcast station in a known location, used as an aviation or marine navigational aid. ... A shelf cloud associated with a heavy or severe thunderstorm over Enschede, The Netherlands. ... Telegraph Signal Tower at Cobbs Hill, near New Market, Virginia, 1864. ... The term above mean sea level (AMSL) refers to the elevation (on the ground) or altitude (in the air) of any object, relative to the average sea level. ... The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (Russian: ) (NATO reporting name Fagot) was a jet fighter developed for the USSR by Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich. ... Petrich is a small town in the Blagoevgrad district in Bulgaria, located at the foot of the Belasitza. ... Yugoslav refers to: Yugoslavia Kingdom of Yugoslavia Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavs This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Investigation

Mig-15 "Fagot" similar to the Bulgarian jets which shot down El Al Flight 402

The accident was investigated and the following probable cause statement was issued: Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1800x1177, 112 KB)http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1800x1177, 112 KB)http://www. ... The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (Russian: ) (NATO reporting name Fagot) was a jet fighter developed for the USSR by Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich. ...

The aircraft sustained a hit or hits which caused loss of pressurization and a fire in the heater compartment. The aircraft broke up in mid-air due to explosion caused by bullets hitting the right wing and probably the left wing together with a projectile or projectiles of large calibre in the rear end of the fuselage.

As a followup/safety action, it was recommended that more VOR stations be used on airway Amber 10, instead of just one at the time of the accident.^[1] D-VOR (Doppler VOR) ground station, co-located with DME. VOR, short for VHF Omni-directional Radio Range, is a type of radio navigation system for aircraft. ...

Aftermath

Although the Bulgarian government at first refused to accept responsibility, blaming the Israeli airliner for penetrating its airspace without authorization, it eventually issued a formal apology, stating that the fighter pilots had been "too hasty" in shooting down the airliner, and agreed to pay compensation to the victims' families.^[4]

See also

• List of notable accidents and incidents on commercial aircraft
• Korean Airlines Flight 007
• Korean Air Lines Flight 902

// Accidents and incidents on commercial aircraft grouped by the year that the incident or accident occurred. ...

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c} ASN record.
2. ^ "Through the Curtain", Time Magazine, August 8, 1955. 
3. ^ Electrical disturbances from lightning are known to cause errors in NDB navigational signals.[1]
4. ^ "The Worst, but Not the First", Time/CNN, September 12, 1983. 

August 8 is the 220th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (221st in leap years), with 145 days remaining. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... A non-directional beacon (NDB) is a radio broadcast station in a known location, used as an aviation or marine navigational aid. ... September 12 is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years). ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Ivan Minekov El Al flight 402 memorial sculpture
• Intrusions, Overflights and Shootdowns During the Cold War and Thereafter
• Cold War and interceptions over Central Europe
• International Court of Justice rejection of jurisdiction