Korean Airliner Shot Down By Soviets

By Patrick Mondout

On April 20, 1978 Korean Air Flight 902 crossing the Atlantic from Paris to Seoul strayed over Soviet territory and was fired upon by a Su-15 fighter. One of the two missiles exploded near the left wing and two of the 97 passengers were killed in the resulting rapid decompression. The Boeing 707 dove into the clouds and lost the Su-15 and made an emergency landing on the frozen lake of Korpijärvi some 280 miles south of Murmansk.

Boeing 707-321C A Guyana Airlines 707-321C similar to the one involved in this crash, as seen in Tucson, March 1986. Image courtesy of AirNikon. Find more of his photos at Airliners.net.

All other passengers and crew were released by the Soviets but the crew was held until they admitted violating Soviet airspace.

This would not be the last time a Soviet fighter fired upon a Korean airliner.

Source: World Book Encyclopedia, 1979 Yearbook; page 369.

Korean Airlines (KAL) 902 at a Glance
Airline	Korean Airlines (KAL)
Date	April 20, 1978
Flight number	902
Registration Number	HL7429
Crew Fatalities	0 of 12
Passenger Fatalities	2 of 97
Total Fatalities	2 of 109

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