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 1.17.5.1 1983 to 1997 Accident History

Between 1983 and the time of the flight 801 accident, Korean Air experienced several accidents that were attributed primarily to pilot performance. Some of these accidents resulted in substantive management, operational, and policy changes initiated by the company to correct deficiencies identified by the accident investigations. The following is a brief description of some of these pilot performance accidents:


 * On August 31, 1983, Korean Air flight 007, a 747-200B, crashed in the Sea of Japan off Sakhalin Island, Soviet Union, killing 269 people. Although the airplane was intentionally shot down, the investigation revealed the flight crew likely made a navigation entry error in the autopilot, causing the airplane to depart from its assigned flightpath without the crew's detection and subsequently enter restricted airspace in the Soviet Union.


 * On December 23, 1983, Korean Air flight 084, a Douglas DC-10 on a scheduled cargo flight, collided head on with SouthCentral Air flight 59, a Piper PA-31 on a scheduled commuter flight, on a runway at Anchorage, Alaska, in heavy fog. Three people received serious injuries, and three people received minor injuries. The Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the accident was the failure of the Korean Air pilot to follow accepted procedures during taxi, which caused him to become disoriented while selecting the runway; the failure of the Korean Air pilot to use the compass to confirm his position; and the decision of the Korean Air pilot to take off when he was unsure that the aircraft was positioned on the correct runway.


 * On July 27, 1989, a Korean Air McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 crashed in fog about 1.5 kilometers short of the runway at Tripoli International Airport, Libya, during the execution of a nonprecision approach (in which the ILS was out of service). Of the 199 people on board the airplane, 4 crewmembers and 68 passengers died; 6 people on the ground were also killed. The Libyan Civil Aviation Authority determined that the cause of the accident was improper flight crew coordination likely influenced by fatigue.