July 27, 1955, remains one of the darkest and most controversial days in civil aviation history. In the tense atmosphere of the Cold War, a routine international passenger flight became the target of military fighter jets, ending in a tragedy that shocked the world.
El Al Flight 402, a Lockheed L-049 Constellation, had departed London for Tel Aviv with scheduled stops in Paris and Vienna. During the final leg of the journey, the aircraft was cruising at approximately 18,000 feet when it accidentally strayed from its planned route over Yugoslavia and crossed into the heavily guarded airspace of Communist Bulgaria.
Within minutes, two Bulgarian Air Force MiG-15 fighter jets intercepted the airliner.
Instead of safely escorting the civilian aircraft out of restricted airspace, the fighters opened fire.
Witnesses and later investigations revealed that the Constellation caught fire but continued descending as its crew desperately attempted to steer the aircraft toward the nearby Greek border. The damaged airliner was struck again at around 8,000 feet, and then attacked once more as it descended through roughly 2,000 feet.
The aircraft broke apart in mid-air before crashing in flames near the town of Petrich.
There were no survivors.
All 58 people on board — 51 passengers and seven crew members — lost their lives.
Initially, Bulgarian authorities claimed the aircraft had ignored warnings and was brought down by anti-aircraft fire. However, as international pressure mounted, Bulgaria admitted that MiG-15 fighters had shot down the aircraft and later acknowledged that the pilots had acted “too hastily.”
The tragedy triggered global outrage.
Israel immediately lodged a vehement diplomatic protest and later brought the case before the International Court of Justice, arguing that Bulgaria bore responsibility for destroying an innocent civilian airliner. Although the court eventually ruled in 1959 that it lacked jurisdiction to decide the case, Bulgaria later agreed to compensate the families of the Israeli victims.
Among those killed was First Officer Pinchas “Pini” Ben-Porat, one of the pioneers of Israeli aviation. A decorated military pilot and former commander in the Israeli Air Force, Ben-Porat had helped shape Israel’s early aviation history before joining El Al.
The disaster also marked the first fatal crash involving El Al since the airline was founded only six years earlier.
One of the most haunting reminders of the tragedy came months later, when pieces of mail recovered from the wreckage finally reached Israel. Each envelope carried a heartbreaking stamp that read:
“This piece of mail survived in El-Al airplane that was shot down over Bulgaria on 27.7.55.”
The victims were buried together in Tel Aviv, and a new Israeli community, Nir Hen, was later named in their memory. The Hebrew letters of “Hen” have the numerical value of 58, honoring every life lost aboard Flight 402.
More than seven decades later, the destruction of El Al Flight 402 remains a powerful reminder of how geopolitical tensions can have devastating consequences for innocent civilians. It stands as one of the earliest and most tragic examples of a commercial airliner being deliberately destroyed by military aircraft during the Cold War.
We remember the 58 innocent lives lost on July 27, 1955. May they never be forgotten.
