Korean Air Lines Flight 902

Korean Air Lines Flight 902

Company type	Scheduled commercial flight
Industry	Aviation
Founded	1978-04-20
Headquarters	Seoul , South Korea
Products	Passenger air transport

Template:Infobox aircraft occurrence Korean Air Lines Flight 902 (KAL 902) was a regularly scheduled flight operated by Korean Air Lines from Paris's Orly Airport to Seoul's Gimpo International Airport, with a planned refueling stop at Anchorage. On April 20, 1978, this Boeing 707 was downed by Soviet air defense forces near Murmansk after it entered restricted Soviet airspace.

The aircraft deviated from its intended route over the Arctic Ocean and crossed into Soviet territory close to the Kola Peninsula. Subsequently, it was intercepted and fired upon by a Soviet fighter jet. This attack resulted in two fatalities among the 109 individuals onboard and compelled an emergency touchdown on the frozen surface of Korpijärvi Lake.

Events

Flight 902 took off from Orly Airport in Paris at 13:39 local time, heading toward Seoul with a scheduled stopover solely for refueling at Anchorage, Alaska. The flight crew consisted of Captain Kim Chang-kyu (age 46), Co-pilot Cha Soon-do, and Flight Engineer Lee Khun-shik. Throughout its journey northwestward, the aircraft maintained routine radio communications; the final contact occurred five hours and twenty-one minutes after departure near CFS Alert on Ellesmere Island. The flight path brought it nearly over the North Magnetic Pole, which caused significant inaccuracies in navigation due to magnetic compass errors. Afterward, the plane altered course southeastward, flying over the Barents Sea before entering Soviet airspace. It reached the Soviet coastline approximately three hours and 1,500 miles (2,400 km) following its directional change southward.

Soviet air defence

At 20:54 (8:54 PM), radar operated by the Soviet air defence detected the aircraft when it was roughly 400 kilometres (250 mi) from Soviet territorial waters. By 21:19 (9:19 PM), the plane had penetrated Soviet airspace. Despite numerous ground communications, the aircraft failed to respond, prompting the deployment of a Sukhoi Su-15 interceptor, piloted by Alexander Bosov, to intercept the airliner. Upon approaching KAL902, Bosov signaled the standard international indication for the airliner to follow by repeatedly waggling the Su-15's wings. Instead of complying, KAL902 executed a 90-degree turn heading toward the Soviet-Finnish border. Bosov informed Air Defence Command Officer Vladimir Tsarkov of the attempted exit from Soviet airspace, after which Tsarkov, following internal protocols, ordered Bosov to engage and shoot down KAL902.Template:Fix/category

Kim recounted that the interceptor approached from his aircraft’s right side rather than the left, which contradicts International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. He reduced speed and switched on navigation lights to signal his readiness to comply and follow the Soviet fighter for landing.

According to Soviet accounts, the airliner repeatedly disregarded instructions to follow the interceptor. Flight 902’s co-pilot, S.D. Cha, stated that attempts were made to communicate via radio with the interceptor but no response was received.

Bosov expressed doubts to his commanders regarding whether the plane posed a military threat; however, after receiving authorization to engage, he launched an R-60 missile at 21:42 (9:42 PM).Template:Fact The first missile missed its target. The second missile struck the left wing, severing about 4 metres (13 ft) of it. The impact also breached the fuselage, causing a rapid decompression and disabling one of the aircraft's four engines. Korean passenger Bahng Tais Hwang was killed in this attack, with several others sustaining injuries.

Following the hit, the airliner rapidly descended from an altitude of 9,000 m (30,000 ft). It entered cloud cover and vanished from Soviet radar screens. Mistaking the detached wing fragment for a cruise missile, Soviet forces dispatched another Su-15 interceptor to engage it. Meanwhile, Bosov’s Su-15 had to return to base due to low fuel levels.

Emergency landing

File:Kalflt902.png

Flight trajectory of KAL Flight 902 (blue line from Paris to Anchorage to Seoul) and its deviation (red line showing southeast turn over Ellesmere Island)

There are varying reports regarding the interval between the missile strike and the subsequent landing of Flight 902. Soviet accounts indicate that the aircraft flew low over the entire Kola Peninsula for roughly 40 minutes while searching for a suitable landing site. After multiple unsuccessful landing attempts, Captain Kim ultimately set the plane down on the ice covering Korpijärvi Lake within the Karelian ASSR, situated about 140 kilometres (87 mi) from the Finnish frontier. A passenger diary from Flight 902, corroborated by other travelers, suggests that approximately one hour and 40 minutes passed before the emergency landing. Roughly two hours following the crash-landing, Soviet military personnel reached the site to commence rescue operations; by then, Japanese passenger Yoshitako Sugano had succumbed.

Finnish reports claim that Soviet air defense lost track of the aircraft once it disappeared from radar. Contrarily, Tsarkov stated that another Soviet pilot, Anatoly Kerefov, located Flight 902 and guided it toward Afrikanda air base. Tsarkov further noted that Captain Kim lagged behind and ultimately landed on the frozen lake. Kerefov asserted that he effectively compelled the plane to touch down on Korpijärvi’s ice.

Rescue of survivors

Survivors were evacuated by Soviet helicopters and transported to Kem in Karelia, where they were accommodated in the Officers' Lodge within the military garrison.

On 22 April, all survivors except for the pilot and navigator were flown by Aeroflot from Kem to Murmansk, then transferred via Pan American World Airways to Helsinki-Vantaa Airport in Finland. On 23 April, a Korean Air Lines flight departed Helsinki carrying these passengers along with the remains of those who had died.

The pilot and navigator were released on 29 April. According to TASS, the official Soviet news agency, both admitted to violating Soviet airspace and ignoring instructions from intercepting fighters to land. TASS also reported that they petitioned the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet for clemency, which was granted alongside their expulsion.

The Soviet government invoiced South Korea for US$100,000 (equivalent to approximately $Template:Inflation in current US dollars) as compensation for caring for the passengers; however, this charge was never settled by South Korea.

Aftermath

The Soviet authorities declined to collaborate with international investigators examining the event and withheld any information from the aircraft's black box. The plane was taken apart, and all its components were airlifted by helicopter onto a barge located in the Kandalaksha Gulf. Yevgeny Savitsky, the deputy chief commander of Soviet air defense, conducted a personal inspection of the cockpit.

Members of Flight 902’s crew attributed the deviation in course to a malfunctioning compass, which had reportedly started to fail due to the proximity of KAL 902’s route near the magnetic north pole, as noted previously. Passengers recalled that Captain Kim informed them upon landing that he suspected navigational instruments were faulty but continued to rely on them regardless. After release from Soviet detention, navigator Lee also confirmed that the directional gyro had experienced failure.

See also

• Aviation safety
• List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft
• List of airliner shootdown incidents
• Korean Air Lines Flight 007: A separate Korean Airlines accident occurring five years after Flight 902

External links

• Aviation Safety Network report
• Black-and-white images showing the wreckage of the KAL Boeing 707
• KAL 902’s delayed arrival, in Russian (English version)