1965 Damascus Alia Handley Page Herald crash
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On 10 April 1965, a Handley Page HPR-7 Dart Herald 207, operating for Alia Royal Jordanian Airlines (now known as Jordanian Air) on a charter flight from Beirut, Lebanon to Amman, Jordan broke apart in flight and crashed 20 kilometers west-northwest of Damascus, Syria. All 54 people on board were killed in what was at the time the deadliest aviation accident in Syria and the deadliest aviation accident to involve the Handley Page Dart Herald.[1][2][3]
- 20 km west-northwest of Damascus, Syria 33°34'32" N, 36°04'42" E.
A Handley Page Herald similar to the one involved | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | April 10, 1965 |
| Summary | In-flight breakup caused by severe corrosion |
| Site |
|
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Handley Page HPR-7 Herald 202 |
| Operator | Royal Jordanian |
| Registration | JY-ACQ |
| Flight origin | Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport, Beirut, Lebanon |
| Destination | Queen Alia International Airport, Amman, Jordan |
| Occupants | 54 |
| Passengers | 50 |
| Crew | 4 |
| Fatalities | 54 |
After the crash Schiphol was heavily criticized over its charter flight policy.
Aircraft and crew
The aircraft involved was a Handley Page HPR-7 Dart Herald 207 (registration JY-ACQ), built in 1963 and originally was used in the Royal Jordanian Air Force.[3] The aircraft would later be handed over to Alia Royal Jordanian Airlines.[3] The two-engine short-haul passenger aircraft was powered with two Rolls Royce Dart engines.[3]
The flight crew consisted of a captain, a first officer and two flight attendants. The captain had accumulated a total of 7453 flight hours, of which 1053 were in the Handley Page Herald.[3] The first officer had accumulated a total of 2021 flight hours, of which 1161 were on the accident aircraft type. In the past 90 days, he had accumulated an additional 155 hours.[3]
Journey and crash
On 3 April 1965, approximately 210 European tourists departed from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam on a low-cost package holiday organized by the Omar Khayyam travel organization. The original itinerary called for a two-week vacation in Cairo, Egypt, with accommodation in bungalows built in the gardens of the former palace of King Farouk. Before departure, however, passengers were informed of a last-minute change in plans under which part of the group would first spend a week in Beirut, Lebanon, at a newly opened Omar Khayyam hotel. The decision was reportedly made by Omar Khayyam director Nicholas Tarayan, who divided the passengers between two aircraft: a Douglas DC-7 bound for Cairo and a chartered Lockheed Super Constellation for Beirut. Passengers assigned to the Beirut flight were forced to remain overnight at Schiphol before departure.[4][5]
The Beirut-bound group traveled aboard the chartered Super Constellation. According to later reports, at least 68 passengers were sent to Beirut against their expressed wishes. After arriving in Lebanon, the aircraft was detained by Lebanese authorities because it lacked the required operating documentation and landing authorization. As a result, the passengers became stranded in Beirut while Omar Khayyam sought replacement transportation. Company representatives reportedly persuaded part of the group to remain temporarily in Beirut by offering accommodation, champagne, and whisky, after overcrowding problems emerged at the company's Cairo facilities.[4][5]
After a week in Beirut, Omar Khayyam arranged onward transportation for the stranded tourists. The Super Constellation could no longer be used because it had been grounded by authorities, and the company instead chartered a Handley Page Dart Herald operated by Alia Royal Jordanian Airlines. Because the Herald could accommodate only 50 passengers, twelve members of the group traveled instead aboard the Greek ship Achilleus via Cyprus to Alexandria, a decision that ultimately saved their lives.[5]
On 10 April 1965, 50 tourists boarded the Herald to continue their journey from Beirut toward Jerusalem via Damascus, where they intended to celebrate Easter. The passengers included 47 Belgians, two Dutch nationals, and one Swiss passenger. Four crew members were on board.[4]
Late that evening, approximately fifteen minutes after departing Beirut, the aircraft suffered an in-flight structural failure while flying approximately 16 kilometres (10 mi) west of Damascus. According to early reports, an explosion occurred in the cabin, after which the aircraft caught fire and broke apart in the air before crashing onto the slopes of Mount Kanisah near the Syrian–Lebanese border. Wreckage was scattered across a wide area of the mountainside. Investigators later found remains of eight passengers approximately one kilometre from the main crash site, suggesting that they had been thrown or had fallen from the aircraft before impact.[4][5]
All 54 people aboard were killed. Many victims were severely burned, complicating identification and repatriation efforts. Rescue teams could reach the remote crash site only on foot.[4][5]
Investigation
Three days after the crash, the cause of the crash remained unknown despite intensive inquiries, and an international panel of civil aviation experts was expected to convene in Damascus to investigate the tragedy further.[6]
The investgation was hampered by the aircraft that was severely damaged by fire.[7]
It was established that the cause of the crash was structural failure of the fuselage during the flight That occurred before fire broke out.[7]
Aftermath
The crash caused widespread mourning and confusion in Belgium, where more than 180 Belgians had participated in the tour. Radio stations broadcast funeral music while families overwhelmed the Foreign Ministry seeking information, complicated by last-minute passenger reshuffling and incomplete victim lists from Syrian authorities.[5]
Three days after the disaster, recovery teams had identified and repatriated 25 European victims, whose (burned) remains were flown to Brussels aboard a chartered KLM aircraft during an official ceremony attended by Belgian, Dutch, and Swiss diplomats.[6]
The Jordanian airline operating the aircraft insured its passengers in accordance with IATA regulations and the Warsaw Convention, while the Jordanian government had established a commission to determine responsibility and oversee compensation for the victims.[8]
Criticism
Omar Khayyam
Following the crash near Damascus, surviving passengers sharply criticized the organization of the Omar Khayyam Middle East tour, describing the trip as chaotic, deceptive, and poorly managed. Travelers reported that many tourists who had booked holidays in Egypt were unexpectedly diverted to Beirut against their wishes after last-minute itinerary changes. In Beirut, the chartered Super Constellation was grounded because it lacked valid papers, leaving passengers stranded amid confusion and protests. Omar Khayyam eventually arranged onward transport aboard a newly chartered Alia Handley Page Dart Herald which resulted into this crash. Survivors also accused the company of inadequate communication, disorganized travel arrangements, and mistreatment of passengers throughout the journey.[9]
Travel and hotel company Omar Khayyam's European director, Mr. Tarayan, denied the company’s responsibility for the crash, arguing that the travelers had voluntarily altered their itinerary and that liability and compensation rested with the Jordanian airline and authorities under international aviation conventions.[8][10]
Cabin pressurization
Due to this crash, and the Eastern Provincial Airways Flight 102 in March 1965, Handley Page advised all airlines operating its Herald aircraft to stop using cabin pressurization after corrosion was discovered in the fuselage skin of two planes.[11]