Korean Air Incidents and Accidents - 1980s

1980s

• 19 November 1980 – Flight 015 (Boeing 747) departed from Anchorage for Seoul when the aircraft struck a retaining embankment on the edge of the airport. The plane bounced back on to runway 14, broke apart, and caught fire and was incinerated. Damage– total air frame break up, Injuries- multiple, Deaths- 15 (one on the ground, six of 14 crew, eight of 198 passengers, Airframe– written off

• 1 September 1983 – Flight 007 (Boeing 747-230B) departed from Anchorage for Seoul. At 5:00 AM the flight was cleared directly to the Bethel VOR beacon and then on to the Romeo 20 route. The pilot mistakenly diverted from its intended course and passed 12 miles north of the Bethel beacon. While approaching the Kamchatka peninsula, six Soviet MiG-23 fighters were scrambled. Because a U.S. Air Force Boeing RC-135 intelligence plane was flying in the area east off Kamchatka, the Soviets may have assumed the 747 radar echo to be the RC-135. The flight left Soviet airspace over the Sea of Okhotsk and the fighters returned to their base. Passing abeam the Nippi beacon (four hours after take-off), the aircraft was 185 miles off course and headed for Sakhalin. Two Soviet Su-15 'Flagon' fighters were scrambled from the Dolinsk-Sokol airbase. At 18:16 UTC, flight 007 re-entered Soviet airspace. At 18:22, for the second time, Soviet command ordered destruction of the target. Two air-to-air missiles were launched by one of the fighters and one struck the Boeing at 18:26. Cabin pressure was lost and the aircraft suffered control problems, causing the plane, after a 12 minute flight, to spiral into the sea near Moneron Island. The event was denounced by the US Reagan Administration as a deliberate and wanton act of murder by an “evil empire.” Damage– total air frame break up, Injuries– N/A, Deaths- 269 (23 of 23 crew, 246 of 246 passengers), Airframe– written off.

• 23 December 1983 – Cargo Flight 084 (McDonnell Douglas DC-10) from Anchorage to Los Angeles, while taxiing out in fog, the Korean crew became disoriented and ended up on the wrong runway. During the takeoff run, the aircraft collided head-on with Southcentral Air Flight 59, a Piper Pa-31 which was taking off from runway 6L-24R for a flight to Kenai. The nine occupants of the South Central Air flight were injured. The DC-10 overran the runway by 1,434 feet and came to rest 40 feet right of the extended centerline. Federal Investigators determined that the Korean pilot had failed to follow accepted procedures during taxi - causing disorientation while selecting the runway. The pilot also failed to use the compass to confirm his position. Ultimately the pilot’s decision to proceed with takeoff without ever knowing if he was on the correct runway caused the impact. Damage– total air frame break up, Injuries– N/A, Deaths- 0(0 of three crew), Airframe– Destroyed

• 18 May 1985 – (Boeing 727) from Seoul to Jeju, while in flight a lone hijacker demanded to be taken to North Korea. Subsequently the hijacker was eliminated. Damage– N/A, Injuries– N/A, Deaths- 1 hijacker, Airframe– N/A

• 29 November 1987 – Flight 858 (Boeing 707-3B5C) from Abu Dhabi to Bangkok, 122 km (76 mi) northwest of Tavoy, Burma (in the Andaman Sea) the aircraft exploded and disintegrated. Investigation revealed that a bomb explosion aboard caused the crash. Two saboteurs disguised as passengers, who had deplaned at Abu Dhabi, left a radio and liquor bottle containing hidden explosives in the overhead rack at row 7. South Korea accused Kim Jong-Il, son of then-North Korean leader Kim Il-sung, of ordering the 1987 bombing of Flight 858. No direct evidence has emerged to link Kim to the bombing, but a North Korean agent, Kim Hyon Hui, confessed to planting a bomb, saying the operation was ordered by Kim Jong-Il personally. Damage– total destruction, Injuries– N/A, Deaths- 115 (11 of 11 crew, 104 of 104 passengers), Airframe– written off.

• 27 July 1989 – Korean Air Flight 803 (McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30) from Jeddah to Tripoli. The aircraft initially departed Seoul on a flight to Tripoli with intermediate stops at Bangkok and Jeddah. Visibility was varying between 100–800 feet and the runway 27 ILS had been reported unserviceable. On final approach to runway 27 the aircraft crashed short of the runway, striking 4 houses and a number of cars. Damage– total destruction, Injuries– multiple, Deaths- 79 (4 ground fatalities, 3 of 18 crew, 72 of 181 passengers), Airframe– written off.

• 25 November 1989 – (Fokker F-28 Fellowship 4000) on a regularly scheduled flight from Seoul to Ulsan, improper flight preparation caused wing icing which, in turn, cause the number one engine to lose power on take-off. The pilot immediately lost directional control and aborted the take-off. However, the abort was so abrupt that the aircraft overran the runway and exploded in flames. The airframe was not salvageable after the fire was eventually extinguished. Damage– total destruction, Injuries– multiple, Deaths- 0, Airframe– written off .