Korean Air Incidents and Accidents - 1970s

1970s

• 23 January 1971 – A domestic scheduled Korean Air Lines passenger flight (Fokker F27 Friendship 500) between Gangneung and Seoul was hijacked by a man armed with hand grenades. The aircraft crash-landed on a deserted beach near Sokcho, South Korea. The grenades exploded, killing the hijacker and co-pilot. Occupants: 60. Injuries: multiple. Fatalities: 2. Damage: severe upon landing. Airframe: written off.

• 2 August 1976 – (Boeing 707) cargo flight departed from Tehran for Seoul when, on takeoff from runway 29, the aircraft inexplicably deviated from the Standard Instrument Departure (SID) procedure and drifted to the right instead of performing a left turnout. It continued and struck mountains at an altitude of 2,020m (6,630 feet). Damage– total destruction, Injuries– N/A, Deaths- 5 (five of five crew), Airframe– written off

• 20 April 1978 – Flight 902 (Boeing 707) departed from Paris for Anchorage and flew to within 780 km of the North Pole when Canadian officials alerted the crew they were off course. They changed course, but worsened the situation by setting a course directly across the Barents Sea and Soviet airspace. The plane was initially recognized by Soviet anti-aircraft defense radars as a Boeing 747. Sukhoi Su-15TM jets were sent to intercept. When both jets were flying next to the Korean airliner, the Korean captain claimed he slowed the plane and initiated landing lights. Nevertheless the Su-15 crews were ordered to shoot down the plane. According to US intelligence sources the Soviet pilot tried for several minutes to convince his superiors to cancel the attack on the civilian airliner. After an additional order two P-60 rockets were launched. The first missed but the second severely damaged the left wing and shrapnel punctured the fuselage, causing rapid decompression that killed two passengers. The Korean pilot initiated an emergency descent to 5,000 feet and entered clouds. Both Soviet jets lost the Korean plane in the clouds. The aircraft continued at low altitude, crossing the Kola Peninsula while searching for a landing opportunity. With night quickly coming on, several unsuccessful attempts were made before the plane landed on the ice of Lake Korpijärvi, near Kem, USSR. All occupants were rescued by Soviet helicopters. Damage– severe, Injuries– multiple, Deaths- 2 (two of 197 passengers), Airframe– written off