Paris - Anchorage - Seoul

On April 20, 1978 at 10:17 PM, Paris - Anchorage - Seoul experienced a crash involving Boeing 707, operated by Korean Air, with the event recorded near Kem Republic of Karelia.

The flight was categorized as scheduled revenue flight and the reported phase was flight at a plain, valley crash site.

109 people were known to be on board, 2 fatalities were recorded, 107 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 1.8%.

Crew on board: 12, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 97, passenger fatalities: 2, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is terrorism act, hijacking, sabotage. Flight KE902 departed Paris-Orly Airport at 1339LT on a flight to Seoul with an intermediate stop in Anchorage. After passing the North Magnetic Pole, while approaching Ellesmere Island, Canada, the airplane initiated a turn to the right by 150° instead continuing straight-in to North Canada and Alaska. This caused the airplane to fly to the southeast, over the Barents Sea and then into Soviet airspace, reaching the Soviet coast approximately three hours and 2,400 km after its right turn. The aircraft was intercepted by a Soviet Air Force Sukhoi SU-15TM and was forced to land. For reasons undetermined, the Korean crew did not respond to multiple requests and initiated a turn when the Soviet pilot was instructed to shoot down the Boeing 707. One of the air/air missile struck the left wing and four meters were torn off. The missile also punctured the fuselage, causing rapid decompression and jamming one of the plane's four turbines. From an altitude of 30,000 feet, the crew initiated a rapid descent and eventually completed an emergency landing on the frozen Korpijärvi Lake located in the region of Kem, Republic of Karelia. Two passengers were killed during the attack while all other occupants were evacuated, 13 were injured. Both pilots and the navigator were arrested but released on April 29.

Aircraft reference details include registration HL7429, MSN 19363, year of manufacture 1967.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 64.9558°, 34.5967°.