50 Years Since the ČSA Plane Crash in Bratislava: 76 People Killed

Bratislava has honoured the memory of the victims of a plane crash that occurred exactly 50 years ago, when a Czechoslovak Airlines (ČSA) aircraft plunged into a lake, killing 76 people. The Czech Ambassador to Slovakia, Rudolf Jindrák, took part in the commemorative ceremony held at the memorial erected at the site of the tragedy in 2014.

"My husband died on that plane. He was 39 years old," Eleonora Bencúrová told reporters. "He was a flight engineer, but on that occasion he wasn't flying for work — he was heading home to Bratislava from Prague."

The names of all the victims were read out during the ceremony. "Luckily, I didn't have anyone among the passengers, but I happened to be nearby when the crash occurred. We tried to help, but it was clear the people on board had no chance of survival," recalls eyewitness Rudolf Šándor.

According to the investigation, the plane was making a second approach to land when it banked sharply and plunged into the lake. The nose of the fuselage sank beneath the water, while the tail section of the Il-18 remained sticking out above the surface. Rescue efforts began immediately, but only four people were pulled alive from the tail section, and one of them later died in hospital.

Investigators later determined that the crash resulted from a combination of factors: an unstabilised approach, an excessively steep rate of descent, a sudden drop in airspeed, the use of thrust reversal, incorrect handling of the engines, the mistaken shutdown of the fourth engine, and an attempt to restart it at low altitude.

It also emerged that the aircraft had experienced technical problems the day before the crash, during a flight from Tripoli. A fault in the second engine had been fixed in Prague, but as a precaution a ČSA mechanic was sent along with the aircraft to Bratislava.

The authorities of the time imposed an information blackout on details of the crash. The popular Zlaté Piesky beach remained closed until 1979, since a large quantity of aviation fuel had spilled into the water.

Rumours later circulated that the flight captain had requested permission to land in Brno but was refused, allegedly because a Vietnamese delegation was present there at the time, while landing in nearby Vienna was said to be impossible for political reasons. Experts, however, have firmly dismissed these claims.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz