Korean Air Lines Flight 015

Korean Air Lines Flight 015 was a Boeing 747-200 operating a scheduled passenger flight from Los Angeles International Airport, in Los Angeles, California, to Gimpo International Airport in Seoul, South Korea with an intermediate stop in Anchorage, Alaska, that crashed while attempting to land on November 19th, 1980. Of the 226 passengers and crew on board, 15 were killed in the accident.[1] The aircraft was damaged beyond repair.[2]

Korean Air Lines Flight 015
A KAL Boeing 747 similar to the aircraft involved in the accident
Accident
Date19 November 1980 (1980-11-19)
SummaryControlled flight into terrain due to pilot error and poor visibility
SiteGimpo International Airport, Seoul, South Korea
Aircraft
Aircraft typeBoeing 747-2B5B
OperatorKorean Air
RegistrationHL7445
Flight originLos Angeles International Airport
StopoverAnchorage International Airport
DestinationGimpo International Airport
Occupants226
Passengers206
Crew20
Fatalities15
Injuries4
Survivors211

Accident

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The wind was calm with a visibility of 1,000 m in fog as the Korean Air Lines 747 made its approach to Runway 14 at Gimpo International Airport.[3] The pilot reported trouble with the controls[4] shortly before the aircraft touched down 90 metres short of the threshold and contacted an embankment slope. The aircraft's cargo compartment was ruptured after the main landing gear were pushed into it. Flight 015 slid down the runway on its belly and a fire broke out. The aircraft was evacuated but six crew and nine passengers were killed in the accident and four passengers had serious injuries.[5][3]

Cause

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Crashed short of runway due to crew error in low visibility weather.

References

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  1. ^ "Korean Air Flight 015". Airdisaster.com. Archived from the original on 21 March 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ^ "HL7445 Korean Air Lines Boeing 747-200". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  3. ^ a b UK CAA Document CAA 429 World Airline Accident Summary (ICAO Summary 1/82)
  4. ^ "12 die as jet crash-lands in Korea". The Day, 19 November 1980.
  5. ^ Korean Air Flight 015. Aviation Safety Network