ISPARTA — 1976 · Major Tragedy
THY 452: The Airliner That Hit the Isparta Mountains
On 19 September 1976 Turkish Airlines Flight 452, a Boeing 727 flying Milan–Istanbul–Antalya, struck Karatepe near Isparta while approaching Antalya. All 154 people on board were killed. The investigation found that in night conditions the pilot apparently mistook the lights of Isparta for Antalya airport and began descending too early, flying into mountainous terrain. For many years it remained the deadliest air crash in Turkey and is often cited in discussions of pilot training, approach procedures and navigation aids.
- Date
- 1976
- Place
- Central, Isparta
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- 37.7800, 30.6000 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 19 September 1976The flight left Istanbul for Antalya.
- 19 September 1976Descending too early at night, the aircraft hit Karatepe; there were no survivors.
- September 1976Teams reached the wreckage for recovery and identification.
- 1976-1977The investigation identified the premature descent as the main cause.
Sources
- Vikipedi: THY 452 sefer sayılı uçuşu tr.wikipedia.org ↗
- Wikipedia: Turkish Airlines Flight 452 en.wikipedia.org ↗
- Göklerdeyiz: THY 452 goklerdeyiz.net ↗
- Turkish Wikipedia
- Wikipedia
- Göklerdeyiz
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.