Korean Air Flight 8702

Korean Air

Industry	Aviation
Headquarters	Seoul , South Korea
Products	Air transport services

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Korean Air Flight 8702, a service operated with a Boeing 747-400, departed from Narita International Airport in Tokyo at 16:50 on 5 August 1998, bound for Seoul with an expected arrival time of 19:20. Due to adverse weather conditions, including heavy rain in Seoul, the flight crew was compelled to reroute to Jeju City. The aircraft resumed its journey from Jeju at 21:07 heading to Seoul. Clearance was given to land on runway 14R amid a crosswind situation with winds blowing from 220 degrees at a speed of 22 knots. Upon touchdown, the plane veered off the runway and slid into an adjacent ditch. The impact destroyed the landing gear and caused the fuselage to rupture. Following the accident, a fire erupted inside the cabin; however, all passengers and crew evacuated safely.

Aircraft

The airplane involved was a Boeing 747-4B5 bearing registration HL7496, which had been delivered to Korean Air on 27 June 1996. At just over two years old, it was the airline’s twenty-first Boeing 747-400 and one of twenty-seven such aircraft in their fleet at that time. Identified by line number 1083 and Construction Number (MSN) 26400, this particular aircraft had no prior history of significant incidents before this event.Template:Fix/category

This aircraft represented the fourth out of five Boeing 747s (including two -200Bs, one -300, this -400 model, and one -200F) that Korean Air wrote off within a fifteen-year period.Template:Fix/category

Accident

Korean Air Flight 8702 was a routine scheduled service operating between Narita International Airport in Tokyo and Gimpo International Airport in Seoul. Due to unfavorable weather at Seoul, the flight diverted to Jeju International Airport. After landing there, the plane was towed to the main terminal where passengers disembarked temporarily. Approximately two hours later, they re-boarded for the remaining hour-long flight back to Seoul.

The flight departed Jeju at 21:07 en route to Seoul and received clearance to land on runway 14R despite crosswind conditions with winds from 220 degrees at a velocity of 22 knots. Upon touchdown, improper use of reverse thrust by the captain resulted in engine No.1 failing to deliver reverse thrust. This situation was compounded by confusion over crosswind handling by the captain and distraction of the first officer during landing. Consequently, the aircraft was unable to halt before reaching the runway’s end. Traveling at approximately 50 knots, it veered rightward and slid into a ditch, causing the fuselage to split apart.Template:Fix/category