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21 fatalities

Malev Airlines Flight 355 Crash at Le Bourget (HA-MOD)

Paris-Le Bourget, FranceLanding (descent or approach)

On November 23, 1962, an Ilyushin II-18 (registration HA-MOD) operated by Malév Hungarian Airlines - Magyar Légiközlekedési Vallalat was involved in an aviation accident near Paris-Le Bourget, France during landing or approach. 21 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The accident was the result of a stall during approach in the configuration landing gear extended, flaps 30°. At the time of impact the four engines were nearly at full power. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-06-12Data APIEditorial standards

Malev Airlines Flight 355 crashed near Le Bourget Airport after an approach. The official investigation found a stall during landing configuration, but the specific cause of the stall was not determined.

Flight Details and Departure Malev Airlines Flight 355 was a scheduled international service operating from Budapest to Frankfurt and Paris. The flight departed Budapest for Frankfurt at 0744 GMT. Upon arrival, the crew reported to the Frankfurt meteorological office at 0950 hours for a briefing. During this time, the pilot was informed about frequent occurrences of fog and stratus clouds, as well as the possibility of light icing within the stratus. The crew spent two hours in the meteorological office reviewing successive weather reports from Orly and Le Bourget Airports. The aircraft departed Frankfurt for Le Bourget with 13 passengers and a crew aboard, with the pilot-in-command seated in the left-hand seat.

Probable cause

The accident was the result of a stall during approach in the configuration landing gear extended, flaps 30°. At the time of impact the four engines were nearly at full power. The Board has not been able to establish the cause of this stall whose pattern, according to the data supplied by the Soviet experts, can only be compatible with a G-load manoeuvre. The Board has not been able to discover what caused the manoeuvre.
Loss of control in flight

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