In the late 1990s,Korean Air was known for being "an industry pariah, notorious for fatal crashes" due to its extremely poor safety record as one of the world's most dangerous airlines.[1][2][3][4] In 1999, South Korea's PresidentKim Dae-jung described the airline's safety record as "an embarrassment to the nation" and chose Korean Air's smaller rival,Asiana, for a flight to the United States.[5]
Between 1970 and 1999, several fatal incidents occurred. Since 1970, 17 Korean Air aircraft were written off in serious incidents, and accidents with the loss of 700 lives. Two Korean Air aircraft were shot down by the Soviet Union, one operating asKorean Air Lines Flight 902 and the other asKorean Air Lines Flight 007. Korean Air's deadliest incident was Flight 007 which was shot down by the Soviet Union on September 1, 1983. All 269 people on board were killed, including a sitting U.S. Congressman,Larry McDonald. The last fatal passenger accident was theKorean Air Flight 801 crash in 1997, which killed 229 people. The last crew fatalities were in the crash ofKorean Air Cargo Flight 8509 in December 1999.[6]
Several academics interviewed byCNBC in 2013 shared the belief that the hierarchical, linear nature of Korean social interactions could be a contributor to the airline's safety issues.[12]
11 December 1969 –Korean Air Lines YS-11 hijacking: ANAMC YS-11-125 operating a domestic flight fromGangneung forSeoul when hijackers commandeered the aircraft and forced it to fly toPyongyang,North Korea. Upon landing, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair and written off. Several passengers and crew were returned to South Korea, though eleven continued to be held in North Korea.[13]
23 January 1971 –1971 Korean Air Lines Fokker F27 hijacking: A domestic scheduledKorean Air Lines passenger flight, operated by aFokker F27 Friendship 500 (HL5212), betweenSokcho andSeoul was hijacked by a man armed with handgrenades in the sky over Hongcheon County, Gangwon Province.[14] A security officer shot the hijacker, and as he fell, the bomb he was holding exploded, and a co-pilot blocked it with his body, cutting off his left leg and right arm, and he later died[15] from excessive bleeding. The aircraft crash-landed on a deserted beach inGoseong County, Gangwon, South Korea.[16] The aircraft was written off.[17][18][19] The incident was reenacted in the filmHijack 1971 (2024) directed by Kim Seong-han.
2 August 1976 – Cargo Flight 642 was a cargo flight operated by aBoeing 707 that departed fromTehran forSeoul when, after takeoff from runway 29, the aircraft inexplicably deviated from the Standard Instrument Departure (SID) procedure and drifted to the right instead of performing a left turnout. It continued and struck mountains at an altitude of 6,630 feet (2.02 km; 1.26 mi). All five crew members died in the crash.[20]
20 April 1978 –Flight 902, a Boeing 707, departed fromParis forAnchorage and flew within 780 km (480 mi) of theNorth Pole when Canadian officials alerted the crew they were off course. They changed course, but worsened the situation by setting a course directly across theBarents Sea and intoSoviet airspace. The plane was initially recognized by Soviet anti-aircraft defense radars as a Boeing 747.Sukhoi Su-15TM jets were sent to intercept. When both jets were flying next to the Korean airliner, the Korean captain claimed he slowed the plane and initiated landing lights. Nevertheless, the Su-15 crews were ordered to shoot down the plane. According to US intelligence sources, the Soviet pilot tried for several minutes to convince his superiors to cancel the attack on the civilian airliner. After an additional order, twoR-60 missiles were launched. The first missed but the second severely damaged the left wing and shrapnel punctured the fuselage, causing rapid decompression that killed two passengers. The Korean pilot initiated an emergency descent to 5,000 feet (1.5 km; 0.95 mi) and entered clouds. Both Soviet jets lost the Korean plane in the clouds. The aircraft continued at low altitude, crossing theKola Peninsula while searching for a landing opportunity. With night quickly coming on, several unsuccessful attempts were made before the plane landed on the ice of Korpijärvi lake, nearKem, Russia. All of the remaining occupants were rescued by Soviet helicopters.[21]
19 November 1980 –Flight 015, operated by aBoeing 747, departed fromAnchorage forSeoul when the aircraft struck a retaining embankment on the edge of the airport. The plane bounced back on to runway 14, broke apart, and caught fire. 14 people on the aircraft died, along with one fatality on the ground.[22]
1 September 1983 –Flight 007 was aBoeing 747-230B that departed from New York City forSeoul via Anchorage. After takeoff from Anchorage at 13:00 UTC, the flight was cleared directly to the Bethel VOR beacon and then on to the Romeo 20 route. The pilot mistakenly diverted from its intended course and passed 12 miles north of the Bethel beacon. While approaching theKamchatka peninsula, sixSovietMiG-23 fighters were scrambled. Because aU.S. Air ForceBoeing RC-135 intelligence plane was flying in the area east off Kamchatka, the Soviets may have assumed the 747 radar echo to be the RC-135. The flight left Soviet airspace over theSea of Okhotsk and the fighters returned to their base. Passing abeam the Nippi beacon four hours after takeoff, the aircraft was 185 mi (298 km) off course and headed forSakhalin. Two SovietSu-15 'Flagon' fighters were scrambled fromDolinsk-Sokol airbase. At 18:16 UTC, Flight 007 re-entered Soviet airspace. At 18:22, for the second time, Soviet command ordered destruction of the target. Two air-to-air missiles were launched by one of the fighters and one struck the Boeing at 18:26. Cabin pressure was lost and the aircraft suffered control problems, causing the plane to spiral into the sea nearMoneron Island. The event was denounced by the USReagan Administration as a "deliberate and wanton act of murder by anevil empire."Boris Yeltsin handed the black boxes to theFederal Aviation Administration. All occupants aboard the aircraft were killed.[25]
23 December 1983 –Cargo Flight 084 was operated by aMcDonnell Douglas DC-10 fromAnchorage toLos Angeles. While taxiing out in fog, the Korean crew became disoriented and ended up on the wrong runway. During the takeoff run, the aircraft collided head-on with South Central Air Flight 59, aPiper PA-31 which was taking off from runway 6L-24R for a flight toKenai. The nine occupants of the South Central Air flight were injured. The DC-10 overran the runway by 1,434 feet and came to rest 40 feet right of the extended centerline. Federal investigators determined that the Korean pilot had failed to follow accepted procedures during taxi, causing disorientation while selecting the runway. The pilot also failed to use the compass to confirm his position. The aircraft was written off, though none of the involved were killed.[26]
18 May 1985 – ABoeing 727 operating a domestic flight fromSeoul toJeju was in flight when a lone hijacker demanded to be taken toNorth Korea. After the hijacker was overpowered, the aircraft was diverted toGwangju where he was arrested by the Korean authorities.[27]
29 November 1987 –Flight 858 was aBoeing 707-3B5C operating a flight fromAbu Dhabi toBangkok. When the aircraft was 122 km (76 mi) northwest ofTavoy,Burma over theAndaman Sea, the aircraft exploded and disintegrated. All 115 occupants aboard were killed. Investigation revealed that a bomb explosion caused the crash. Two saboteurs disguised as passengers, who had deplaned at Abu Dhabi, left a radio and liquor bottle containing hidden explosives in the overhead rack at row 7. South Korea accusedKim Jong Il, son of then-North Korean leaderKim Il Sung, of ordering the 1987 bombing of Flight 858. No direct evidence has emerged to link Kim to the bombing, but a North Korean agent,Kim Hyon Hui, confessed to planting a bomb, saying the operation was ordered by Kim Jong Il personally.[28]
27 July 1989 –Flight 803 was operated by aMcDonnell Douglas DC-10-30. The flight originated inSeoul, bound forTripoli, Libya with intermediate stops inBangkok, Thailand andJeddah, Saudi Arabia. As the aircraft prepared to land in Tripoli, visibility was varying between 1000 and 800 feet and theinstrument landing system for runway 27 had been reported unserviceable. On final approach to runway 27, the aircraft crashed short of the runway, striking four houses and a number of cars. 75 occupants aboard the aircraft were killed, along with four people on the ground. 124 survived the crash and resulting fire.[29]
25 November 1989 –Flight 175 was a regularly scheduled flight fromSeoul toUlsan operated by aFokker F-28 Fellowship 4000. During takeoff, the number one engine lost power, forcing the pilots to abort the takeoff. However, the aircraft was unable to stopand overran the runway before bursting into flames. There were several injuries but no deaths. It was determined that due to improper flight preparation, icing had developed on the wings. The aircraft was unsalvageable and thus written off.[30]
13 June 1991 – Flight 376, aBoeing 727 (HL7350) operating a domestic flight fromJeju toDaegu, performed an unexpectedgear-up landing at Daegu. The crew failed to read out the landing procedure checklist and therefore did not select the gear down option. Subsequent investigation revealed that the pilot instructed the co-pilot to pull the fuse case from the warning system because the repeated warnings that the landing gear was not deployed were "irritating and distracting". With the warning horn disabled, the Korean pilot brought the plane in and slid down the length of the runway on the central structural rib in thebelly of the aircraft. There were no serious injuries but the aircraft was written off.[31] The police applied for an arrest warrant for the captain and the -captain, but controversy arose as the prosecutor rejected the application and investigated it without physical detention, butJoo Ho-young, a judge who later became a member of the National Assembly, said in a trial ruling held in January of the following year, "The heavy responsibility of punishment under the criminal law is inevitable that defendants who are tasked with safe transportation of passengers did not follow basic air operation rules and caused an accident that could kill all 120 passengers." Captain Lee In-sung was sentenced to October in prison, and First Officer Kim Sung-joong and Flight Engineer Park Il-sung were sentenced to August in prison, and they were arrested in court.[32] The gear-up landing blew up the lower part of the aircraft, ultimately rendering it inoperable, and on July 27, 1992, Korean Air donated[33] the aircraft for practical use toInha Technical University, a member of the same Hanjin Group, after disassembling the remaining aircraft at Daegu International Airport in August 1991.[34]
10 August 1994 –Flight 2033 was anAirbus A300 operating a flight fromSeoul toJeju. During the approach into Jeju, the aircraft approached faster than usual to avoid potential windshear. Fifty feet above the runway, the co-pilot who was not flying the aircraft decided that there was insufficient runway left to land and attempted to perform a go-around against the captain's wishes.[35] The aircraft touched down 1,773 metres (1.1 mi) beyond the runway threshold. The aircraft could not be stopped on the remaining 1,227 metres (0.76 mi) of runway and overran at a speed of 104 knots. After striking the airport wall and a guard post at 30 knots, the aircraft burst into flames. The cabin crew was credited with safely evacuating all passengers although only half of the aircraft's emergency exits were usable. There were no fatalities, but the aircraft was written off following the crash.
22 September 1994 – Flight 916F fromZürich toBusan was operated by a Boeing 747. Eight days prior on 14 September, the aircraft had encountered a severe hailstorm overElba,Italy, which led to a near miss incident. The aircraft sustained severe damage to the radome, cockpit windows and engines but managed to reachZürich safely. Some repair work was done, but the aircraft needed to be ferried toBusan for final repairs.Boeing released the aircraft with some takeoff performance changes, which included a limited gross weight of 70,000 pounds (32,000 kg) and increased takeoff speeds for V1, V2 and VR by 15, 17 and 14 knots respectively. The aircraft was cleared for a Runway 14 takeoff and ZUE 5P departure. After a long takeoff run, the aircraft lifted off the runway at the very end and climbed slowly. At 900 meters beyond the runway threshold, the aircraft cleared some adjacent buildings at lengths fewer than 50 meters. Subsequent investigation found that despite clear instructions to reduce weight, the crew had overloaded the aircraft at 86,700 pounds (39,300 kg).[36]
6 August 1997 –Flight 801 was aBoeing 747-3B5 operating a flight fromSeoul, South Korea toAgana, Guam, The crew attempted a night-time approach to Guam's runway 06L. Flight 801 had descended 800 feet below the prescribed altitude, striking the 709 feetNimitz Hill at a height of 650 feet and crashed in a jungle valley, breaking up and bursting into flames. 228 occupants were killed in the crash. Subsequent investigation found that the captain's failure to adequately brief and execute the non-precision approach, and the first officer's and flight engineer's failure to effectively monitor and cross-check the captain's execution of the approach, led to the crash. The incident was the first and only fatal crash involving the Boeing 747-300. Other contributing factors were the captain's fatigue and Korean Air's inadequate flight crew training.[37]
5 August 1998 –Flight 8702, aBoeing 747-400 operating a short flight fromTokyo toSeoul, departed Tokyo at 16:50 and was scheduled to arrive at Seoul at 19:20. Inclement weather at Seoul forced the flight crew to divert toJeju. The aircraft took off fromJeju at 21:07 bound for Seoul. On landing in Seoul, the 747 bounced multiple times and slid 100 meters off the runway before coming to a stop in a grassy area. There were no deaths but some were injured; the aircraft was also written off.[38]
15 March 1999 –Flight 1533 was operated by aMcDonnell Douglas MD-83 fromSeoul toPohang. Weather at Pohang was poor with degraded visibility and gusty 25 knot winds. The pilot failed at the first attempt to land. After the second approach, the plane touched down but overran the runway. The aircraft skidded through 10 antennas, a reinforced barbed wire fence and came to rest against an embankment. The landing broke the fuselage in half.[39] The airline no longer operate this route as of October 3, 2023, as this route is now being operated byJin Air.[citation needed]
15 April 1999 –Cargo Flight 6316, a cargo flight operated by aMcDonnell Douglas MD-11 fromShanghai toSeoul, crashed shortly after takeoff 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) southwest ofShanghai Hongqiao International Airport. Investigations revealed that the Korean co-pilot's repeatedly misunderstood the instructions provided by the tower; the tower was relaying information inmeters which the pilots confused withfeet.[40] The aircraft climbed to 4,500 feet and the captain, after receiving two wrong affirmative answers from the first officer that the required altitude should be 1,500 feet, thought that the aircraft was 3,000 feet too high. The captain then pushed the control column abruptly forward causing the aircraft to start a rapid descent. Neither was able to recover from the dive. The plane plunged to the ground, hitting housing for migrant workers and exploded. All three crew members aboard the aircraft and five on the ground were killed; 37 on the ground were also injured.[41]
22 December 1999 –Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509 was operated by aBoeing 747-2B5F fromLondon Stansted toMilan Malpensa. After takeoff from London Stansted, the aircraft banked to the left and plummeted into the ground. Subsequent investigation revealed the Captain’s ADI was faulty and that maintenance activity atLondon Stansted Airport was done improperly and the pilots did not respond appropriately to warnings during the climb after takeoff despite prompts from the flight engineer. The captain maintained a left roll control input, rolling the aircraft to approximately 90 degrees of left bank and there was no control input to correct the pitch attitude throughout the turn. The first officer either did not monitor the aircraft attitude during the climbing turn or, having done so, did not alert the commander to the extreme unsafe attitude that had developed. Investigators subsequently suggested, among other things, that Korean Air had altered training materials and safety education to meet the "unique" Korean culture. All four crew members were killed in the crash.[42][43]
5 December 2014 – Anair rage incident occurred aboard Flight 086 shortly before its departure fromJohn F. Kennedy International Airport for Incheon International Airport. The incident happened aboard anAirbus A380-800, and was later known as theNut rage incident. The issue began when Korean Air vice president Heather Cho (Cho Hyun-ah) complained about the packaging of nuts which served as a savory snack for first class passengers: Cho expected the nuts to be served on a plate, but the nuts were still in their original packaging when served. A confrontation with the cabin crew chief occurred, which led to Cho assaulting the crew member and ordering him to get off the plane, thus delaying the flight for 20 minutes.[44][45]
27 May 2016 – An engine caught fire on a Boeing 777-300 as it accelerated for takeoff asFlight 2708 at Tokyo International Airport, commonly known asHaneda Airport. The takeoff was aborted and all 17 crew members and 302 passengers were evacuated. Firefighters put out the fire within an hour. There were 12 minor injuries during the evacuation, and the aircraft was repaired and returned to service.[46][47][48]
29 June 2018 - Korean Air Flight 703, a Boeing 777-300, had an axle fracture of the aft right landing gear while landing atNarita Airport on runway 16L. There were no injuries among the 335 people on board.[49] As a result of the accident, the runway 16L was closed for 20 minutes to clear the debris. The aircraft received minor damage.[50]
28 September 2022 – Flight 908, aBoeing 777-300ER, clipped the tail ofIcelandair Flight 454, aBoeing 757-200, on the ground atLondon Heathrow Airport. Emergency responders were called after the collision, although there were no reported fatalities or injuries among the people aboard the two aircraft.[51] Both aircraft were repaired.[52][53]
^SeeMalcolm Gladwell,Outliers (2008), pp. 177–223 for a discussion of this turnaround in airline safety. Gladwell notes (p. 180) that thehull-loss rate for the airline was 4.79 per million departures, a full 17 times greater thanUnited Airlines which at the same time had a loss rate of just 0.27 per million departures.
^"현내면 초도리에 불시착한 1971년 KAL기 납북 미수 사건... 최선호씨 당시 사진 공개" [1971 KAL Flight Attempted Hijacking Incident That Made an Emergency Landing in Chodo-ri, Hyeon-nae-myeon... Choi Seon-ho's Photo at the Time Released] (in Korean). Seorak Today. 11 April 2023. Retrieved18 February 2025.
^"KAL 동체착륙사고/기장등 3명 법정구속" [KAL gear-up landing accident / 3 persons including the captain are arrested in court] (in Korean).Hankook Ilbo. 24 January 1992. Retrieved21 February 2025.
^"［동영상］ 애인과 공짜 비행기 타고 싶으세요?" [［Video] Do you want to take a free flight with your lover?] (in Korean).OhmyNews. 8 December 2009. Retrieved21 February 2025.
