Korean Air Lines Flight 902

Artist's conception of KAL 902 flanked by Soviet Su-15s
Occurrence summary
Date	April 20, 1978
Type	Airliner shoot down
Site	near Loukhi, Karelian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union
Passengers	97
Crew	12
Fatalities	2
Survivors	107
Aircraft type	Boeing 707-321B
Operator	Korean Air Lines
Tail number	HL7429
Flight origin	Charles de Gaulle International Airport Paris, France
Last stopover	Scheduled to stop at Anchorage International Airport Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Destination	Gimpo International Airport Seoul, South Korea

Korean Air Lines Flight 902 (KAL902, KE902) was the flight number of a civilian airliner that was shot down April 20, 1978, near Murmansk, USSR, after it violated Soviet airspace and allegedly failed to respond to Soviet interceptors.^{[citation needed]} Tapes released by Rovaniemi Area Control Centre show that the pilots of KAL902 transmitted their call sign three times immediately prior to the shootdown.^[1] Two passengers were killed when Soviet aircraft opened fire on the aircraft. 107 passengers and crew survived after the plane made an emergency landing on a frozen lake.

History of the flight[link]

KAL Flight 902's flightplan (in blue; unflown segment in light blue) and actual route flown (distance correctly traveled in blue; incorrectly traveled leg in red)

The Boeing 707 aircraft (registration HL7429), piloted by Kim Chang Ky, left Paris, France on a course to Anchorage, Alaska, United States where it would refuel and proceed to Seoul, South Korea. The plane initially flew north past Great Britain, Iceland, Greenland, and the Canadian Forces Station Alert, located on Ellesmere Island 400 miles (640 km) from the North Pole.^[2] It then changed its course, flying southeast; not toward Anchorage located at 61°10′N 149°59′W / 61.167°N 149.983°W / 61.167; -149.983 (Anchorage, Alaska), but in the opposite direction toward Murmansk at 68°58′N 33°5′E / 68.967°N 33.083°E / 68.967; 33.083 (Murmansk, Russia). The aircraft was not fitted with an inertial navigation system,^{[Notes 1]} and the pilots failed to note the position of the sun, almost 180 degrees off from where it should have been. According to the official Korean explanation, the pilots in their navigation calculations used the wrong sign of magnetic declination when converting between magnetic and true headings. This caused the plane to fly in an enormous right-turning arc, which eventually led it to fly southeast over the Svalbard archipelago and the Barents Sea, past northern Scandinavia into Soviet airspace.

The plane was spotted by the radars of Soviet air defense system 400 kilometres (250 mi) away from the Soviet territorial waters: "with a course onto Murmansk a plane travels with a big radio-locating mark without call sign "I'm ours"".^[3] At first it was assumed that the plane is part of the Soviet marine aviation that is returning from a mission and forgot to change the code of detection system (either An-12 or Tu-95).^[3] However, when the "Boeing" was already over the Kola Peninsula at 21:19 (Moscow Time), to intercept it the first Soviet Sukhoi Su-15 'Flagon' fighter of the 431st Fighting Aviation Regiment of Soviet Air Defense (military unit#26391) piloted by Alexander Bosov was scrambled after the plane from Afrikanda air base. Soviets at that time incorrectly identified the plane as a United States Air Force reconnaissance RC-135.^{[Notes 2]} At first CPT Bosov reported to the commander of the 21st Air Defense Corps Vladimir Tsarkov that he sees a Maple Leaf on the tail of the Boeing (implying that it is possibly, a NATO aircraft), however in few minutes he corrected himself stating that he sees Chinese hieroglyphics and, instead of the maple leaf, a big red stork with extended wings.^[3]

According to the flight captain Kim Chang Ky, the interceptor neared his aircraft from the right side (instead of the left as it is required by the ICAO regulation).^[3] The captain also stated that he decreased his speed and turned on the navigation lights indicating that he was ready to follow the Soviet fighter for landing.^[3] According to Soviet reports, the intruder repeatedly ignored commands to follow the interceptors and started to drift to wards Finland.^[3] Attempts of the flight captain Kim Chang Ky to communicate with the intercepting pilot at the frequency 121.5 were recorded by the tower coordinating air traffic in Rovaniemi.^[3] The following is out of the report of Tsarkov:

Su-15 pilot Capt. A. Bosov was ordered to shoot it down after trying to convince his superiors on the ground that the aircraft was not a military threat.^[2][3] At 21:42 (Moscow Time) he fired a pair of R-60 missiles, one of which caused heavy damage to part of the left wing of the Boeing 707 (part of the wing 3-4 meters in length fell off) and punctured the fuselage, causing rapid decompression, jamming one of the four jet's turbines,^[3] and killing two of the 97 passengers. Another, the first one, flew right pass the target.^[3] After being hit, the airliner quickly descended from a height of 9 km (30,000 ft)^[3] into cloud and was lost by the Su-15s and radars of the Soviet Air Defense system. Bosov couldn't even detect any traces of fire on a ground.^[3] The piece of the wing, which was traveling at high velocity, was at first perceived for a container or a winged missile by the radars of the Soviet Air Defense.^[3] Therefore another Su-15 interceptor piloted by Sergei Slobodchikov fired another missile at it.^[3] Bosov at that time was replaced by another Su-15TM (piloted by Anatoly Kerefov) as Bosov's aircraft was running low on fuel.

For the next 40 minutes the emergency flight 902 flew at low altitude across the whole Kola Peninsula seeking a place for an emergency landing and, after several unsuccessful attempts, landed during the night time on the ice of the frozen Korpijärvi Lake 66°02.893′N 33°04.321′E / 66.048217°N 33.072017°E / 66.048217; 33.072017 (Korpijärvi Lake)Coordinates: 66°02.893′N 33°04.321′E / 66.048217°N 33.072017°E / 66.048217; 33.072017 (Korpijärvi Lake) already in Karelian ASSR,^[6][3] at 23:05 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of nearest railway station Loukhi and 140 kilometres (87 mi) from the Finnish border. Finish sources state that during that time the Soviet Air Defense did not have a single information on the fate or location of the plane.^[3] However Tsarkov stated that the Boeing was detected and led to Afrikanda by Keferov.^[3] The pilot eventually fell behind and landed on the frozen lake.^[3] Keferov himself however stated that he practically by force - wing-to-wing - made the plane land on the ice of Korpijärvi.^[3]

Eventually all 107 survivors were rescued by Soviet helicopters and transferred to the city of Kem (Karelia) where they were quartered in the garrison's Officer's Lodge.^[3] The passengers were released after two days at the Murmansk Airport to the US Consulate in Leningrad,^[3] while the crew were held for investigation and released after they made a formal apology. The Korean pilots acknowledged that they deliberately failed to obey the commands of the Soviet interceptors. They petitioned to the Presidium of Supreme Council of USSR for pardon.^[3] They were eventually deported out of the Soviet Union.^[3] The Soviet Union invoiced South Korea for $100,000 in caretaking expenses. The passengers were flown with a Pan Am Boeing 727 from Murmansk to Helsinki, Finland from where another Korean Air Boeing 707 took them to Seoul.

The incident was presented to the Soviet public on April 30, 1978.^[3] The USSR refused to cooperate in investigation of the incident with the international experts and did not provide any data mined out of the plane's "black box".^[3] The airplane itself was taken apart and all equipment transferred by a helicopter Mi-6 on a barge in Kandalakshi Sound.^[3] The pilot's cockpit was inspected personally by the deputy chief commanding officer of the Soviet air defense Yevgeniy Savitsky.^[3] The actions of the air defense forces were eventually recognized as correct.^[3] The incident was a major embarrassment to the Soviet air defense forces because the jetliner had penetrated Soviet territory before interception. This led to a major shakeup of the defense force command, and contributed to the shooting down of Korean Air 007 by the Soviets in 1983.^[7][8]

Korean Air continues to use Flight 902 on its Paris-Seoul route but it is now a nonstop route. The flight from Paris now departs from Charles de Gaulle instead of Orly and arrives in Seoul at Incheon Airport instead of Gimpo. The fighter-interceptor Sergei Slobodchikov now works as a security guard in Petrozavodsk.^[3]

See also[link]

	Korea portal
	Russia portal
	Aviation portal
	1970s portal

• List of airliner shootdown incidents
• Lists of accidents and incidents on commercial airliners
• Air safety
• Korean Air Lines Flight 007, shot down under similar circumstances in 1983

Notes[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Korean Air Lines Flight 902

• Report on Aviation Safety Network
• Black-and-white photographies of the KAL B-707 wreckage
• KAL 902 fails to appear on time, in Russian (English translation)

This article contains Korean text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Hangul or Hanja.

Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. (KRX: 003490), operating as Korean Air, is both the flag carrier and the largest airline of South Korea, with global headquarters located in Seoul, South Korea. Korean Air's international passenger division and related subsidiary cargo division together serve 130 cities in 45 countries, while its domestic division serves 20 destinations. It is among the top 20 airlines in the world in terms of passengers carried and is also the top-ranked international cargo airline. Incheon International Airport serves as Korean Air's international hub. Korean Air also maintains a satellite headquarters campus at Incheon.

History[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2008)

Founding[link]

Korean Air was founded by the South Korean government in 1962 as Korean Air Lines to replace Korean National Airlines, which was founded in 1946^{[citation needed]}. On 1 March 1969 the Hanjin Transport Group took control of the airline. Long-haul freight operations were introduced on 26 April 1971 followed by passenger services to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on 19 April 1972.^[1]

International flights to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Los Angeles were flown with Boeing 707s until the introduction of Boeing 747 in 1973^{[citation needed]}. In 1973, the airline introduced Boeing 747s on their Pacific routes and in the same year started a European service to Paris, France using the 707 and the DC-10. In 1975 the airline became one of the first Asian airlines to operate Airbus aircraft with the purchase of three A300s, which were put into immediate service on Asian routes.^[2]

Change to 'Korean Air'[link]

A blue-top, silver and redesigned livery with a new corporate "Korean Air" logo featuring an accented, stylized "taegeukgi" design was introduced on 1 March 1984 and the airline's name changed to Korean Air from Korean Air Lines. This livery was introduced on its Fokker F28s.^{[citation needed]} It was designed in cooperation between Korean Air and Boeing. In the 1990s, Korean Air became the first airline to use the new MD-11 to supplement its also-new fleet of Boeing 747-400 aircraft; however, the MD-11 did not meet the airline's performance requirements and they were eventually converted to freighters. Some older 747 aircraft were also converted for freight service.^{[citation needed]}

Further expansion and founding of Jin Air[link]

In the 1980s Korean Air's head office was in the KAL Building on Namdaemunno, Jung-gu, Seoul.^[3]

As of 2007, Korean Air was in negotiations to open its China hub in Beijing or Shanghai by the end of 2008.^{[citation needed]}

On 5 June 2007, Korean Air said that it would create a new low-cost carrier called Jin Air in Korea to compete with Korea's KTX super-high speed railway network system, which offers cheaper fares and less stringent security procedures compared to air travel. Korean Air's low-cost subsidiary is Jin Air, which started its scheduled passenger service from Seoul to Jeju on 17 July 2008. Korean Air announced that some of its B737s and A300s would be given to Jin Air.^{[citation needed]}

By 2009 Korean Air's image had become more prestigious, differing from the airline's late-1990s image, which had been tarnished by several fatal accidents.^[4]

In mid-2010, a co-marketing deal with games company Blizzard Entertainment sent a B747-400 and a B737-900 taking to the skies wrapped in StarCraft II branding.^[5] In August 2010, Korean Air announced heavy second-quarter losses despite record high revenue.^[6] Also in August 2010, Hanjin Group (the parent of Korean) opened a new cargo terminal at Navoi in Uzbekistan, which will become a cargo hub with regular Incheon-Navoi-Milan flights.^[7]

Introduction of Airbus A380[link]

Korean Air Boeing 747SP at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg in 1985.

Korean Air takes delivery of its first Airbus A380 at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, France, 25th May 2011.

In May 2011, the carrier took delivery of its first Airbus A380, and signed a deal with Amadeus IT Group that outsourced the carrier's reservation and passenger processing systems.^[8][9] Korean Air's A380s currently serve Paris, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, New York, and Los Angeles from its Incheon hub.^[10]

Corporate affairs and identity[link]

Major centers[link]

Korean Air's main global headquarters campus, the Korean Air Operations Center (대한항공 빌딩^[11]), is located in Gonghang-dong, Gangseo-gu in Seoul. Korean Air also maintains a domestic office campus at Gimpo International Airport in Seoul. Korean Air's lesser domestic hubs are based at Jeju International Airport, Jeju and Gimhae International Airport, Busan.^[1] The maintenance facilities are located in Gimhae International Airport.

The airline had 16,623 employees (as of March 2007).^[1]

Korean Air's main global headquarters campus, the Korean Air Operations Center (대한항공 빌딩^[11]), is located in Gonghang-dong, Gangseo-gu in Seoul.^[12]

The North America headquarters for passenger operations is located in Westlake, Los Angeles, United States, while its cargo operations for North America are on the property of Los Angeles International Airport in Westchester, Los Angeles.^[13]

The European headquarters are located in the City of Westminster, London.^[14] The French office is in the 1st arrondissement of Paris.^[15] The German office is in Westend, Frankfurt.^[16]

The Commonwealth of Independent States headquarters are located in Tverskoy District, Central Administrative Okrug, Moscow, Russia.^[17]

Its Southeast Asia/Oceania headquarters are in the Ocean Tower (海洋大楼 Hǎiyáng Dàlóu) in Singapore.^[18]

Its Japanese headquarters are in the Tokyo Korean Air Building (KALビル, KAL Biru^?) in Shiba, Minato, Tokyo.^[19]

Its Chinese offices are in the Hyundai Motor Tower (现代汽车大厦 Xiàndài qìchē dàshà) in Chaoyang District, Beijing.^[20] Its Hong Kong sales office is in Tower 2 of the South Seas Center (南洋中心 Mandarin: Nányáng Zhōngxīn) in Kowloon.^[21]

Destinations[link]

This section requires expansion.

Korean air destinations

Korean Air, along with British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Emirates Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, and United Airlines, is one of the few airlines that fly to all six inhabited continents.

Codeshare agreements[link]

Korean Air Europe Headquarters in London

Korean Air has codeshare agreements, beside SkyTeam members, with the following airlines:

Korean Air is an airline partner of Skywards, the frequent-flyer program for Emirates. Skywards members can earn miles for flying Korean Air and can redeem miles for free flights. In addition, on certain routes Korean Air's codesharing agreement with Malaysia Airlines also allows Malaysia Airline's Enrich members to earn miles even though when flying with Korean Air.^{[citation needed]}

Fleet[link]

A Korean Air Airbus A330-200 taxiing at Nagasaki Airport, Japan in 2007

A Korean Air Boeing 737-800 at Daegu Airport, South Korea in 2005.

A Korean Air Boeing 747-400 landing at London Heathrow Airport, England in 2004.

A Korean Air Airbus A380 taking off from Hamburg Airport in 2011

The Korean Air Boeing customer code is B5; hence, any aircraft purchased directly from Boeing features this code in registration (747-400 - 747-4B5).

Its fleet consists of the following aircraft (on 01 Jul 2011):^[23][24]

Korean Air is the first Airbus A380 customer to dedicate the entire upper deck of the A380 to business class passengers (comprising 94 of Korean Air’s lie-flat Prestige Class business seating). Korean Air announced on 4 December 2009 that it would order five Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental aircraft worth $1.5 billion in list prices.^[29] This is in addition to the seven Boeing 747-8F freighters Korean Air Cargo will be operating.^[30] On 6 February 2012, the first Boeing 747-8F and Boeing 777F aircraft were delivered to Korean Air becoming the first airline in the world to operate both of these aircraft.^[31]

Aircraft interiors[link]

A Boeing 777-300 being serviced at Narita International Airport

Korean Air offers four types of first classes, three types of business (Prestige) classes, and two types of economy class.

First Classes are either "Kosmo Suite" (on entire Boeing 777-300ER fleet, some 777-200ER fleet, all Airbus A380 fleet) seats, "Kosmo Sleeper" (on some Boeing 747-400 and 777-200ER fleet), Sleeper (on some Boeing 747-400 and 777-300 and all Airbus 330), and old first class seats. All "Kosmo Suites", "Kosmo Sleeper", and "Sleeper" seats recline to 180 degrees, while old first class seats (currently being phased out), recline up to 150 degrees.

Prestige Class seats are either "Prestige Sleeper" (on entire 777-300ER, 777-200ER fleet that feature "Kosmo Suites" seats, and A380 fleet), "Prestige Plus" (on most Boeing 777-200ER, Boeing 747-400 and one Boeing 777-300), or old Prestige Class seats. "Prestige Sleeper" seats recline to 180 degrees, while Prestige Plus seats recline up to 172 degrees. Old Prestige Class seats recline up to 138 degrees. Old Prestige Class seats are being phased out except for Airbus 300-600, Boeing 747-400 Combi, and Boeing 737 aircraft.

Economy class seats recline up to 121 degrees. A new type of seat called "New Economy Class" are being installed on all of Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 777-200ER aircraft with Kosmo Suites, all Boeing 777-300 aircraft, some Airbus A330-300 and -200 aircraft, and the Airbus A380 (factory-installed).

The brand new first class, the "Kosmo Suites" seats, and the Prestige class, "Prestige Sleeper" seats were first introduced in the Boeing 777-300ERs in May 2009.^[32] Both seats could stretch to 180 degrees, and became more private than seats before.

The color 'Celadon Green', which represents the characteristics of Korea, is incorporated as the primary dominant colors to all "First Class" and "Prestige Class" seats. Dark blue and Mocha Chocolate colors are used on the economy seats.

The Korean Air Airbus A380-800 aircraft also feature an in-flight bar, called the Celestial Bar in partnership with Absolut Vodka, featuring a range of Absolut cocktails along with an integrated lounge space.^[33] It is located on the upper deck Business Class cabin and is accessible only to First and Prestige class passengers.

On the lower deck of the A380, there is a Lancome-designed^[34] Duty Free shop located in the rear of the cabin, which is available to all passengers.

Loyalty program[link]

SKYPASS is the frequent-flyer program of Korean Air. "SKYPASS" also refers to the blue card which Korean Air frequent flyers are given. The motto of SKYPASS is "Beyond your Imagination". The program's elite levels are comparable to those of other airlines' frequent flyer programs, requiring members to fly a 30,000 miles per two-year cycle.(initial entry into this level requires 50,000 miles) Qualification for the highest level is based on lifetime flight miles, requiring a customer to fly 1 million miles for Million Miler, which is the highest elite status, or 500,000 miles for Morning Calm Premium, which comes second. Both membership levels are eligible for SkyTeam Elite Plus privileges. Membership in these levels are granted for life.

Aerospace research and manufacturing[link]

Korean Air is also involved in aerospace research and manufacturing. The division, known as the Korean Air Aerospace Division (KAL-ASD), manufactures licensed versions of the MD 500 and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and the F-5E/F Tiger II fighter aircraft,^[35] the aft fuselage and wings for the KF-16 fighter aircraft manufactured by Korean Aerospace Industries,^[36] and parts for various commercial aircraft including the Boeing 737, 747, 777, 787 and the Airbus A330, and A380.^[37] In 1991 the division designed and flew the Korean Air Chang-Gong 91 light aircraft. KAA also provides aircraft maintenance support for the United States Department of Defense in Asia and maintains a research division with focuses on launch vehicle, satellite, commercial and military aircraft, helicopter, and simulation systems.^[38]

Incidents and accidents[link]

Korean Air had many fatal accidents between 1970 and 1999, during which time it wrote off 16 aircraft in serious incidents and accidents with the loss of 700 lives. On Sept. 1, 1983, Korean Air Lines Flight 007, carrying 269 people, including a sitting U.S. Congressman, Larry McDonald, was shot down by the Soviets west of Sakhalin Island. Since the last fatality in 1999, safety has greatly improved, and the airline ranks among the best in the 21st century.^[39] The last fatal passenger incident was the Korean Air Flight 801 crash in 1997. The last crew fatality was Korean Air Cargo flight 8509 in December 1999.

See also[link]

	South Korea portal
	Companies portal
	Aviation portal

• Transport in South Korea
• List of companies of South Korea
• List of airlines of South Korea
• List of airports in South Korea

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Korean Air

• Korean Air official website
• Korean Air (Korean) (Archive)
• Morning Calm inflight magazine
• Korean Air Cargo
• Korean Air Aerospace Division
• Korean Air Channel - YouTube