What happened
A non-scheduled flight departed from Beirut International Airport, Lebanon, at 19:55 GMT, bound for Amman, Jordan. The flight was cleared to reach and maintain an altitude of FL 135 as per its submitted flight plan. At 20:14, the aircraft contacted Damascus Centre while positioned over Dakweh, reporting that it was climbing through FL 120 toward FL 135 and expected to pass the Damascus beacon at 20:19.
After the aircraft failed to reach the specified beacon by 20:20, air traffic controllers attempted several radio communications, none of which received a response. Shortly after, at 20:35, reports were received via telephone describing an aircraft traveling west to east that appeared to be on fire and had crashed between the Syrian border and Damascus. Investigations confirmed the wreckage belonged to the subject flight, which had struck a mountain slope at a 45-degree angle at an altitude of 4,200 feet AMSL at approximately 20:16. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft and 54 fatalities, with no survivors.
Findings
Official investigations concluded that the primary cause of the accident was a structural failure of the fuselage while in flight. While eyewitnesses reported seeing flames trailing the aircraft before it hit the ground, investigators found no physical evidence within the wreckage to confirm an in-flight fire; any such evidence likely perished during the post-impact ground fire. Furthermore, the investigation found no traces of explosives or any other external materials that had been placed inside the aircraft.