July 27, 1955
Bulgaria Shoots Down El Al Flight 402
Historical context
On 27 July 1955, Bulgarian fighters shot down El Al flight 402. All 58 people on board were killed.
Archive record
Read the event, then follow its documented sources and archive threads.
- Date
- July 27, 1955
- Verified sources
- 2
- Archive threads
- 3
On this day, Bulgarian fighter aircraft shot down El Al flight 402. The International Court of Justice recorded that the Constellation 4X-AKC, on a scheduled flight from Vienna toward Lod, entered Bulgarian airspace without authorization and was shot down. It crashed in flames near Petrich. All seven crew members and all 51 passengers were killed.
Bulgaria later wrote that its defense units had acted with haste and had not taken every step required to make the aircraft land.
Research trail
Sources and further reading
- Aerial Incident of 27 July 1955 (Israel v. Bulgaria) · International Court of Justice · International Court of Justice View source
- Aerial Incident of 27 July 1955 (United States of America v. Bulgaria) · International Court of Justice · International Court of Justice View source
Share this history
Support the work
If this history matters to you, you can support Jewish Original.