Korean Air Lines Flight 007

1983 shoot-down of a civilian airliner

Korean Air Lines Flight 007 (also known as KAL007 and KE007[note 1]) was a scheduled Korean Air Lines flight from New York City to Seoul via Anchorage. On September 1, 1983, the airliner serving the flight was shot down by a Soviet Su-15 interceptor near Moneron Island, west of Sakhalin Island, in the Sea of Japan.

The Korean Air Lines Boeing 747-2B5B that was shot down by a Soviet Su-15 interceptor

The interceptor's pilot was Major Gennadi Osipovich. All 269 passengers and crew aboard were killed, including Lawrence McDonald, representative from Georgia in the United States House of Representatives. The aircraft was en route from Anchorage to Seoul when it flew through prohibited Soviet airspace around the time of a U.S. reconnaissance mission.

Former president Richard Nixon was to have been seated next to Larry McDonald on KAL 007 but decided not to go, according to the New York Post and TASS.[1]

The shooting of Korean Air Lines was one of the most tense moments of the Cold War. In the aftermath of the shooting, President Ronald Reagan made a presidential announcement saying that what the Soviet did was bad.[2] Reagan was angry of what happened and changed his mind of making peace with the Soviets.

President Reagan announced on September 16, 1983, that the Global Positioning System (GPS) would be made available for civilian use.

Nationality Passengers Crew Total
 South Korea 82 23 105
 United States 62 0 62
 Japan 28 0 28
 Taiwan 23 0 23
 Philippines 16 0 16
 Hong Kong 12 0 12
 Canada 8 0 8
 Germany 4 0 4
 Thailand 5 0 5
 France 3 0 3
 Indonesia 3 0 3
 United Kingdom 2 0 2
 Australia 2 0 2
 Italy 1 0 1
 Vietnam 1 0 1
 Malaysia 1 0 1
 India 1 0 1
 Iran 1 0 1
 Spain 1 0 1
  Switzerland 1 0 1
 Dominican Republic 1 0 1
 Sweden 1 0 1
 Ireland 1 0 1
 Mexico 1 0 1
 Brazil 1 0 1
 South Africa 1 0 1
 Portugal 1 0 1
Total 246 23 269

ReferencesEdit

  1. "Soviets Say Nixon Had Been Booked on Flight 007". Washington Post. 25 September 1983. Archived from the original on 27 October 2008. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  2. Reagan, Ronald (September 5, 1983). "Address to the Nation on the Soviet Attack on a Korean Civilian Airliner" (Press release). U Texas; United States Government. Archived from the original on 15 February 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2009.

NotesEdit

  1. KAL 007 was used by air traffic control, while the public flight booking system used KE 007

Other websitesEdit