SkyNet - Special Report

Date: September 1st, 1985
Type: 747-230B
Registration: HL-7442
Operator: Korean Air Lines - KAL
Where: Okhotsk Sea
Report No.: Not Available
Report Date: -
Pages: -


This is not an accident investigation report.


The Boeing arrived at Anchorage at 03.30 local time after a 3h10min flight from New York. At 05.00h the aircraft took off again from Runway 32, bound for Seoul. The flight was cleared directly to the Bethel VOR beacon and then on to the Romeo 20 route. However, the aircraft started diverging from it's intended course and passed 12mls North of the Bethel beacon. While approaching the Kamchatka peninsula, 6 MiG-23 fighters were scrambled. Because a US Boeing RC-135 intelligence plane was flying in the area East off Kamchatka, the Soviet defence forces probably thought the B747 radar echo to be the RC-135. KAL 007 left Russian airspace over the Okhostk Sea and the fighters returned to their base. Passing abeam the Nippi beacon (4hrs after take-off), the aircraft was 185mls off course and headed for Sakhalin. Two Soviet Sukhoi Su-15 fighters were scrambled from the Dolinsk-Sokol airbase at 17.42h UTC and 17.54 respectively. At 18.16h UTC flight 007 re-entered Soviet airspace. At 18.22h the Soviet command ordered destruction of the target (for the 2nd time). Two air-to-air missiles were lauched by one of the fighters and struck the Boeing at 18.26h. Cabin pressure was lost and the aircraft suffered control problems, causing the Boeing to spiral down and crash into the sea.


Korean Air Lines CVR Readout


COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER

CAM = Cockpit Area Microphone
CAPT = Captain
CI312 = China Airlines flight 312
PA = Public Adress
RDO = Radio Transmission from KAL007
Tokyo = Tokyo ATC
Time:Source:Contents:
18.19:26CAM *
18.19:40CAM *
18.20:02Tokyo [ Selcal ]
18.20:09RDO Korean Air zero zero seven Selcal.
18.20:11Tokyo Korean Air zero zero seven clearance Tokyo ATC clears Korean Air zero zero seven climb and maintain flight level three five zero.
18.20:21RDO Ah roger Korean Air zero zero seven climb and maintain at three five zero leaving three three zero at this time.
18.20:28Tokyo Tokyo roger.
18.21:48- [ Sound: altitude alert ]
18.22:55CAPT [ Keyed microphone ]
18.22:56RDO Tokyo radio Korean Air zero zero seven reaching level three five zero.
18.23:00Tokyo Korean Air zero zero seven Tokyo roger.
18.25:55CI312 Tokyo radio, Dynasty three one two on five six.
18.26:00Tokyo Dynasty three one two Tokyo.
18.26:02- [ Sound of eplosion ]
18.26:03CI312 Dynasty three one two position Payon one eight two five level three three zero estimate Shemya one nine three five remainder ... remaining one two six decimal zero minus five zero ... one zero diagonal four zero go ahead.
18.26:06CAM What's happened?
18.26:08CAM What?
18.26:10CAM Retard throttles.
18.26:11CAM Engines normal.
18.26:14CAM Landing gear.
18.26:15CAM [ Sound: cabin altitude warning ]
18.26:17CAM Landing gear [ Noise of possible selection ]
18.26:18CAM [ Sound: altitude deviation warning ]
18.26:21CAM [ Sound: autopilot disconnect warning ]
18.26:22CAM Altitude is going up.
18.26:23CAM [ Sound: cabin call ]
18.26:24CAM Altitude is going up.
18.26:25CAM Speed brake is coming out.
18.26:26CAM What? What?
18.26:27CAPT *
18.26:29CAM Check it out.
18.26:30PA [ Sound: PA chime for automatic cabin announcment ]
18.26:30Tokyo Dynasty three one two ... contact Anchorage.
18.26:33PA [ Sound: cacin call ]
18.26:33CAM I am not able to drop altitude now unable.
18.26:34PA Attention emergency descent.
18.26:35CI312 Thank you out.
18.26:38PA Attention emergency descent.
18.26:38CAM Altitude is going up.
18.26:40CAM This is not working. This is not working.
18.26:41CAM Manually.
18.26:42CAM Cannot do manually.
18.26:42PA Attention emergency descent. {in Japanese}
18.26:43CAM [ Sound: Autopilot disconnect warning ] Not working manually also.
18.26:45CAM Engines are normal Sir.
18.26:46PA Put out your cigarette. This is an emergency descent.
18.26:48CAM *
18.26:49PA Put out your cigarette. This is an emergency descent.
18.26:50CAM Is it power compression?
18.26:51CAM-3 Is that right?
18.26:52PA Put out your cigarette. This is an emergency descent. {in Japanese}
18.26:52CAM-3 ... all of both ... *
18.26:54CAPT Is that right?
18.26:55PA Put the mask over your nose and mouth and adjust the headband.
18.26:57RDO Tokyo radio Korean Air zero zero seven.
18.27:01PA Put the mask over your nose and mouth and adjust the headband.
18.27:02Tokyo Korean Air zero zero seven Tokyo.
18.27:04RDO Roger Korean Air zero zero seven... * ah we are experiencing ...
18.27:08PA Put the mask over your nose and mouth and adjust the headband. {in Japanese}
18.27:09CAPT All compression.
18.27:10RDO Rapid decompression descend to one zero thousand.
18.27:15PA Attention emergency descend.
18.27:19PA Attention emergency descend.
18.27:20CAM-3 Now ... * ... we have to set this.
18.27:21Tokyo Korean Air zero zero seven * * radio check on one zero zero four eight.
18.27:23PA Attention emergency descent {in Japanese}.
18.27:23CAM-3 Speed.
18.27:26CAM-3 Stand by Stand by Stand by Stand by set.
18.27:27PA Put out your cigarette. This is an emergency descent.
18.27:30PA Put out your cigarette. This is an emergency descent.
18.27:33PA Put out your cigarette. This is an emergency descent. {in Japanese}
18.27:38PA Put the mask over your nose and mouth and adjust the headband.
18.27:43PA Put the mask over your nose and mouth and adjust ...
18.27:46- END OF RECORDING




Report complied by David Lisk
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