El Al Plane Shot Down over Bulgaria

The El Al Lockheed Constellation plane that was shot down over Bulgaria

 27 July 1955 – 8 Av 5715

An El Al plane was shot down, killing all fifty-eight passengers, when a storm drove it off course into Bulgarian airspace. Two Bulgarian fighter planes were deployed to force the intruding aircraft to the ground, but one of them opened fire. In memory of the casualties, the village of Nir Hen (numerical value fifty-eight) was founded in 1956.