Crash site	Würenlingen, Switzerland
Airline	Swissair
Aircraft	Convair Coronado  –  HB-ICD  –  Basel-Land
Route	Zürich  –  Tel Aviv
Crew	9  –  0 survivors
Passengers	38  –  0 survivors

 

The crash

The plane took off from Zürich/Kloten airport at 13:14. Seven minutes later a bomb detonated in the aft cargo compartment of the plane. As there were problems with the cabin pressure the pilot decided to return to the airport for an emergency landing. At 13:26 the crew reported fire onboard and the crew was unable to see anything. Last contact was at 13.33 after which the plane crashed in a wooded area near Würenlingen.
Sabotage was immediately suspected and the same evening PFLP (Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) took responsibility for the the bomb, which was placed in a parcel.

 

The mail

Onboard the plane was mail from European countries destined for Israel. 14.5 kilos of the mail was recovered and brought to the Post Office no. 58 at Zürich airport for further sorting.
So far mail from Germany and Switzerland has been recorded – and also 6 items from Sweden.

 

A.
Swiss handstamp.
Black.
Size:  46 x 17 mm.

Translation of the French text:
Correspondence from “Coronado” that crashed at Würenlingen.
Post Office Zürich 58

 

 

 

 

Examples of mail

Aerogram franked with 70 öre sent from Sweden woth postmark STOCKHOLM 19.2.70 and addressed to Israel. Swiss crash handstamp type A. Thiesen Collection.
Cover from Sweden with illegible postmark as the stamp was washed off. The cover is addressed to Tel Aviv, Israel and show the usual Swiss crash handstamp type A. Unknown Collection.