Korean Air Lines Flight 902

Last updated

Korean Air Lines Flight 902
Korean Air Lines 902 on land.jpg
The plane after landing in the Soviet Union, with visible damage to its left wing
Shootdown
Date20 April 1978 (1978-04-20)
Summary Shot down by Soviet Union [1]
Sitenear Loukhi, Karelian ASSR, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
66°02′54″N33°04′14″E / 66.04833°N 33.07056°E / 66.04833; 33.07056
Aircraft
Aircraft type Boeing 707-321B
Operator Korean Air Lines
IATA flight No.KE902
ICAO flight No.KAL902
Call signKOREAN AIR 902
Registration HL7429
Flight origin Orly Airport
Paris, France
Stopover Anchorage International Airport
Anchorage, Alaska
United States
Destination Kimpo International Airport
Seoul, South Korea
Occupants109
Passengers97
Crew12
Fatalities2
Survivors107

Korean Air Lines Flight 902 (KAL 902) was a scheduled Korean Air Lines flight from Paris to Seoul via Anchorage. On 20 April 1978, the Soviet air defense shot down the aircraft serving the flight, a Boeing 707, near Murmansk, Soviet Union, after the aircraft violated Soviet airspace. [2] [3]

Contents

Flight 902 had veered off course over the Arctic Ocean and entered Soviet airspace near the Kola Peninsula, whereupon it was intercepted and fired upon by a Soviet fighter jet. The incident killed two of the 109 passengers and crew members aboard and forced the plane to make an emergency landing on the frozen Korpijärvi Lake  [ ru ] near the Finnish border. [4]

Events

KAL Flight 902's flight plan (in blue, Paris to Anchorage to Seoul) and deviation from the plan (in red, having turned southeast when over Ellesmere Island) Kalflt902.png
KAL Flight 902's flight plan (in blue, Paris to Anchorage to Seoul) and deviation from the plan (in red, having turned southeast when over Ellesmere Island)
A Korean Air Lines Boeing 707, similar to the one involved KAL B707-300 HL7433 at BAH (15955564410).jpg
A Korean Air Lines Boeing 707, similar to the one involved

Flight 902 departed from Paris, France, at 13:39 local time on a course to Seoul, South Korea. [5] The plane's only scheduled stop was in Anchorage, Alaska, the US, where it would refuel and proceed to Seoul, avoiding Soviet airspace. [5] It was commanded by Captain Kim Chang-kyu (46), with Co-pilot Cha Soon-do and Flight Engineer Lee Khun-shik making up the other flight deck crew. [6] [7] The aircraft made regular radio check-ins as it flew northwest, the last of which, five hours and twenty-one minutes after takeoff, placed it near CFS Alert on Ellesmere Island. [5] The aircraft's flight path took it almost directly over the North Magnetic Pole, causing large errors in the aircraft's magnetic compass-based navigation systems. Its course then turned to the southeast and it flew over the Barents Sea and into Soviet airspace, reaching the Soviet coast an estimated three hours and 1,500 miles (2,400 km) after its southward turn. [5]

Soviet air defence

Soviet air defence radar spotted the plane at 20:54, when the plane was approximately 400 kilometres (250 mi) away from Soviet territorial waters. [8] At 21:19 the plane entered Soviet airspace. As the plane did not respond to multiple requests from the ground, a Su-15 interceptor, piloted by Alexander Bosov, was dispatched to intercept the airliner. Having approached KAL902, Bosov waggled the Su-15's wings multiple times, using the international signal for the airliner to follow the interceptor. Instead, KAL902 made a 90-degree turn towards the Soviet-Finnish border. Bosov reported the attempted escape from Soviet airspace to the Air Defence Command Officer Vladimir Tsarkov, and the latter, based on internal instructions, commanded Bosov to shoot down KAL902.[ citation needed ]

According to Kim's account of the attack, the interceptor approached his aircraft from the right side rather than the left as required by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regulation. [8] Kim decreased his speed and turned on the navigation lights, indicating that he was ready to follow the Soviet fighter for landing. [8]

According to Soviet reports, the airliner repeatedly ignored commands to follow the interceptor. [9] Flight 902's co-pilot, S.D. Cha said that the crew had attempted to communicate with the interceptor via radio, but did not receive a response. [6]

Bosov tried to convince his superiors that the plane was not a military threat, but after receiving orders to shoot it down [10] [8] at 21:42 he fired an R-60 missile.[ citation needed ] The missile flew past the target. [8] A second missile hit the left wing, knocking off approximately 4 metres (13 ft) of its length. The missile also punctured the fuselage, causing rapid decompression and jamming one of the plane's four turbines. [8] Korean passenger Bahng Tais Hwang died in the missile strike, which also wounded several others. [6]

After being hit, the airliner quickly descended from an altitude of 9,000 m (30,000 ft). [8] It fell into a cloud, disappearing from Soviet air defence radars. Soviets mistook the part of the wing that had fallen off Flight 902 for a cruise missile and dispatched another Su-15 interceptor to fire at it. [8] Bosov's Su-15 had to return to the airbase due to low fuel.

Emergency landing

Accounts of the time between the missile strike and Flight 902's landing differ. According to Soviet media, the airliner flew across the whole Kola Peninsula at a low altitude for about 40 minutes, searching for a place to land. After several unsuccessful attempts at landing, Kim brought the plane down on the ice of the frozen Korpijärvi Lake  [ ru ] in Karelian ASSR, located approximately 140 kilometres (87 mi) from the Finnish border. [8] [11] According to the diary of a passenger on board Flight 902, an account supported by other passengers, an hour and 40 minutes elapsed before the landing. [6] About two hours after the crash landing, Soviet troops reached the plane to begin the rescue effort, by which time Japanese passenger Yoshitako Sugano had died. [6]

Finnish sources stated that Soviet air defense did not have any information on the plane's whereabouts after it disappeared from the radar. [8] However, Tsarkov stated that another Soviet pilot, Anatoly Kerefov, had located Flight 902 and led it to the Afrikanda air base. [8] Tsarkov went on to say that Kim fell behind and landed on the lake. [8] Kerefov said he practically forced the plane to land on the ice of Korpijärvi. [8]

Rescue of survivors

Soviet helicopters rescued the survivors and transported them to the city of Kem in Karelia. The passengers were quartered in the garrison's Officers' Lodge. [8]

On 22 April, the survivors, except the pilot and navigator, were transported via Aeroflot from Kem to Murmansk, then by Pan American World Airways to Helsinki-Vantaa Airport in Finland, where a Korean Air Lines aircraft departed on 23 April for Seoul with the group of Flight 902 survivors and the bodies of those killed. [12]

On 29 April, the pilot and navigator of Flight 902 were released. [7] TASS, the official news agency of the Soviet Union, said that they had confessed to violating Soviet airspace and disregarding orders from the intercepting aircraft to land. [7] According to TASS, the pair had appealed for clemency to the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, which pardoned and expelled them. [7]

The Soviet Union billed South Korea US$100,000 ($467,100 in 2023 prices) for its caretaking of the passengers; however, the bill was never paid by South Korea. [13]

Aftermath

The Soviet Union refused to cooperate with international experts while they investigated the incident and did not provide any data from the plane's "black box". [8] The airplane was dismantled and all equipment transferred by helicopter onto a barge in Kandalaksha Gulf. [8] The deputy chief commanding officer of Soviet air defense, Yevgeny Savitsky, personally inspected the aircraft's cockpit. [8]

The crew of Flight 902 blamed navigational error for the plane's course. Passengers said that Kim had told them upon landing that he had suspected the aircraft's navigation equipment was in error but had followed it anyway. After being released from Soviet custody, navigator Lee said similarly that the navigational gyrocompass had malfunctioned. [7]

In 1983, 5 years after the flight 902 incident, Korean Air Lines Flight 007, a Boeing 747-230B, was also shot down by the Soviet air defense. However, unlike flight 902, no survivor remained on flight 007.

Korean Air still operates Flight 902 from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Seoul. However, the flight no longer stops at Anchorage or flies to Gimpo International Airport as it now flies directly to Incheon International Airport. Korean Air also no longer flies to Orly Airport. The flight number for a separate flight is 504. As of October 3rd 2023, the destination is served using Boeing 747-8I. [14]

Maps

World location map (equirectangular 180).svg
Green pog.svg
Paris
Red pog.svg
Anchorage
Red pog.svg
Seoul
Airplane Crash.svg
Landing site
class=notpageimage|
Location of the accident and origination, stopover, and destination airports
Relief Map of Karelia.png
Airplane Crash.svg
Landing site
class=notpageimage|
Landing site in the Karelian Republic

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korean Air Lines Flight 007</span> 1983 flight shot down by the Soviet Union

Korean Air Lines Flight 007 (KE007/KAL007) was a scheduled Korean Air Lines flight from New York City to Seoul via Anchorage, Alaska. On September 1, 1983, the flight was shot down by a Soviet Sukhoi Su-15 interceptor aircraft. The Boeing 747 airliner was en route from Anchorage to Seoul, but owing to a navigational mistake made by the crew, the airliner drifted from its original planned route and flew through Soviet prohibited airspace. The Soviet Air Forces treated the unidentified aircraft as an intruding U.S. spy plane, and destroyed it with air-to-air missiles, after firing warning shots. The Korean airliner eventually crashed into the sea near Moneron Island west of Sakhalin in the Sea of Japan. All 269 passengers and crew aboard were killed, including Larry McDonald, a United States representative. The Soviet Union found the wreckage under the sea two weeks later on September 15 and found the flight recorders in October, but this information was kept secret by the Soviet authorities until 1992, after the country's collapse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilyushin Il-62</span> Soviet long-range narrow-body airliner

The Ilyushin Il-62 is a Soviet long-range narrow-body jetliner conceived in 1960 by Ilyushin. As successor to the popular turboprop Il-18 and with capacity for almost 200 passengers and crew, the Il-62 was the world's largest jet airliner when first flown in 1963. The seventh quad engined, long-range jet airliner to fly, it was the first such type to be operated by the Soviet Union and a number of allied nations.

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport</span> Airport serving Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is a major airport in the U.S. state of Alaska, located 5 miles (8 km) southwest of downtown Anchorage. The airport is named for Ted Stevens, who served as a senator of Alaska from 1968 to 2009. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a medium-hub primary commercial service facility.

Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd., operating as Korean Air, is the flag carrier of South Korea and its largest airline based on fleet size, international destinations, and international flights. It is owned by the Hanjin Group.

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1960.

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1970.

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1978.

This is a list of aviation-related events from 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sukhoi Su-15</span> Soviet interceptor aircraft

The Sukhoi Su-15 is a twinjet supersonic interceptor aircraft developed by the Soviet Union. It entered service in 1965 and remained one of the front-line designs into the 1990s. The Su-15 was designed to replace the Sukhoi Su-11 and Sukhoi Su-9, which were becoming obsolete as NATO introduced newer and more capable strategic bombers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114</span> 1973 Israeli shootdown of an airliner

Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114 was a regularly scheduled civilian flight from Tripoli to Cairo, through Benghazi, that was shot down in 1973 by Israeli fighter jets after it entered by mistake, due to a system malfunction, the airspace of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula – then under Israeli occupation – resulting in the death of 108 civilians.

The article describes accidents and incidents on Korean Air and its predecessor companies Korean National Airlines and Korean Air Lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ugolny Airport</span> Airport in Russia

Ugolny Airport is a mixed-use military and civil airfield in the Russian Far East located 11 km east of Anadyr, separated from the town by the waters of Anadyrsky Liman. The airfield was originally constructed in the 1950s as a staging base for Long Range Aviation bombers such as the Tupolev Tu-95 and Tupolev Tu-22M. During the Cold War years it became the primary hub for civilian flights in the Chukotka region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Al Flight 402</span> 1955 airliner shootdown

El Al Flight 402 was an international passenger flight from London to Tel Aviv via Vienna and Istanbul. On 27 July 1955, the flight, operated by a Lockheed Constellation registered as 4X-AKC, strayed into then-Communist Bulgarian airspace and was attacked by two Bulgarian MiG-15 jet fighters, crashing near Petrich. All 7 crew and 51 passengers on board the airliner were killed. The crash took place amid highly strained relations between the Eastern Bloc and the Western Bloc and was the deadliest involving the Constellation up to that time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing 747 hull losses</span>

As of July 2020, a total of 60 Boeing 747 aircraft, or just under 4% of the total number of 747s built, first flown commercially in 1970, have been involved in accidents and incidents resulting in a hull loss, meaning that the aircraft was either destroyed or damaged beyond economical repair. Of the 60 Boeing 747 aircraft losses, 32 resulted in no loss of life; in one, a hostage was murdered; and in one, a terrorist died. Some of the aircraft that were declared damaged beyond economical repair were older 747s that sustained relatively minor damage. Had these planes been newer, repairing them might have been economically viable, although with the 747's increasing obsolescence, this is becoming less common. Some 747s have been involved in accidents resulting in the highest death toll of any civil aviation accident, the highest death toll of any single airplane accident, and the highest death toll of a midair collision. As with most airliner accidents, the root of cause(s) in these incidents involved a confluence of multiple factors that rarely could be ascribed to flaws with the 747's design or its flying characteristics.

A polar route is an aircraft route across the uninhabited polar ice cap regions. The term "polar route" was originally applied to great circle navigation routes between Europe and the west coast of North America in the 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anatoly Kornukov</span> Soviet general (1942–2014)

General Anatoly Mikhailovich Kornukov was a general in the Russian Air Force and the former fighter pilot in the Soviet Air Defence Forces. From 1998 until 2002, he served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force. He is remembered for ordering Korean Air Lines Flight 007 to be shot down, resulting in the deaths of all 269 aboard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korean Air Lines Flight 007 alternative theories</span> Conspiracy theories about the 1983 shootdown

Korean Air Lines Flight 007 alternative theories concerns the various theories put forward regarding the shooting down of Korean Air Lines Flight 007. The aircraft was en route from New York City via Anchorage to Seoul on September 1, 1983, when it strayed into prohibited Soviet airspace and was shot down by Soviet fighter jets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Air Defence Division (Russia)</span> Russian Aerospace Forces formation

The 1st Air Defence Division is a military formation of the Russian Aerospace Forces. It traces its history to a corps of the Soviet Air Defence Forces, and later the Russian Air Force. The corps was headquartered at Severomorsk and was part of the 10th Air Defence Army from 1960 to 1994. It was formed as the Northern Air Defence Corps in 1957 and was assigned the designation "21st" three years later. It became a brigade in 2009 and was converted into a division in 2014.

References

  1. ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 707-321B HL7429 Korpijärvi Lake". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  2. ↑ "The Worst, But Not The First." Time 122.11 (1983): 21. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 November 2012.
  3. ↑ "The Mystery Of Flight 902 Why Did A South Korean Jet Make a 180° Turn over the Arctic?." Time 111.18 (1978): 35. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 November 2012.
  4. ↑ "Рейс "KAL" # 902 по расписанию не прибыл" . Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Flight of South Korean Airliner 'Very Puzzling' to U.S. Officials". The New York Times. 22 April 1978. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Agony of Flight 902". The Washington Post. 24 April 1978. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Soviet Frees Last 2 in Korean Plane Case". The New York Times. 30 April 1978. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Весна 1978-го. Як СРСР збив над Карелією корейський "боїнг". ФОТО" [Spring 1978. How the USSR shot down a Korean Boeing over Karelia. PHOTO]. Ukrayinska Pravda (in Ukrainian). 4 May 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  9. ↑ "2 Killed on South Korean Airliner That Was Forced to Land in Soviet". The New York Times. 22 April 1978. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  10. ↑ "Criminal Occurrence Description at the Aviation Safety Network".
  11. ↑ Увидеть Париж — и не умереть – Константин Сорокин, Артур Берзин Archived 6 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine (in Russian)
  12. ↑ "South Korean Plane Plunged 30,000 Feet After Being Fired On". The New York Times. 23 April 1978. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  13. ↑ "Past Attacks on Commercial Airliners". Time. 17 July 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  14. ↑ "Flight Finder ✈ Charles de Gaulle/Roissy (CDG) – Incheon Int'l (ICN) ✈ FlightAware". FlightAware. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.