1965 Damascus Alia Handley Page Herald crash

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.

After the crash Schiphol was heavily criticized over its charter flight policy.

Accident

The passengers consisted of 210 European tourists on a low-cost package holiday organized by the Omar Khayyam travel organization.

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.

Approximately fifteen minutes after departing Beirut, the aircraft suffered an in-flight structural failure. Witnesses on the ground reported hearing an explosion-like sound and flaming aircraft debris falling from the sky and landing on the slopes of Mount Kanisah near the Syrian–Lebanese border. The remains of eight passengers were found approximately one kilometre from the main crash site, suggesting that they had been thrown or had fallen from the aircraft before impact.

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.