Korean Air Lines Flight 007 crash — 1983 shoot-down of a civilian airliner over the then–Soviet Union
The shoot-down of a civilian Boeing 747 by the Soviet Union killed 269 people and directly led to GPS being opened for global civilian use.
Key Facts
- Date of incident
- September 1, 1983
- Total killed
- 269 (246 passengers, 23 crew)
- Aircraft type
- Boeing 747-230B
- Soviet interceptor used
- Sukhoi Su-15
- Crash site
- Sea of Japan, near Moneron Island
- Flight recorders released
- 1992, after Soviet dissolution
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
A navigational error by the crew caused Korean Air Lines Flight 007 to deviate from its planned route and enter Soviet airspace. Soviet air defense forces, unable to identify the aircraft, concluded it was a U.S. spy plane conducting a reconnaissance mission and decided to intercept and destroy it.
On September 1, 1983, a Soviet Sukhoi Su-15 interceptor fired air-to-air missiles at the Boeing 747 after firing warning shots, destroying the aircraft over the Sea of Japan near Moneron Island west of Sakhalin. All 246 passengers and 23 crew members were killed, including U.S. Representative Larry McDonald.
The incident intensified Cold War tensions, with the Soviet Union initially denying involvement and later claiming the flight was a spy mission. The United States revised aircraft tracking procedures departing Alaska, and President Reagan directed that GPS, once operational, be made freely available for civilian use worldwide to prevent similar navigational tragedies.