50 Years Ago Yesterday, a Plane Crashed Into the Sea Off Beirut’s Coast

Just yesterday, September 30th, marked a sad anniversary. Fifty years ago in 1975, the Mediterranean sea off the coast of Beirut became the final resting place for Malév Hungarian Airlines Flight 240.

The aircraft, a Soviet-built Tupolev Tu-154 passenger jet, was making its final approach to the city’s airport when it suddenly vanished from the sky, taking all 60 people on board with it.

A Cold War Puzzle

In the absence of official answers, a slew of theories and rumors quickly filled the silence, fueled by the tense political climate of the Cold War.

A Deliberate Attack?

One of the most persistent theories is that the plane was shot down. British radar operators stationed in Cyprus reportedly tracked unidentified fighter jets in the vicinity at the time of the crash.

Suspicions have been cast over the years on enemy air forces, though no government has ever acknowledged any involvement.

A Case of Mistaken Identity?

Another theory suggests the flight was targeted in a case of catastrophic error. A delegation from the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was rumored to have been scheduled to be on the flight but changed their plans at the last minute.

The speculation is that an intelligence agency, intending to assassinate the PLO members, brought down the plane without realizing their targets were not on board.

The mystery only deepened over the decades. Years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Hungarian officials acknowledged the existence of classified reports on the incident but stated they would remain sealed for “reasons not connected to the crash,” a cryptic explanation that has only fueled further speculation.

Fifty years later, Malév Flight 240 remains one of Beirut’s most haunting and unresolved tragedies.

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