Russia: Soviets Ordered Korean Airliner Shot Down in 1978

Chosun Ilbo ^ | 06/29/05 | Chung Byung-sun

[TigerLikesRooster]

Soviets Ordered Korean Airliner Shot Down in 1978

A KAL 707 airliner heading to Seoul from Paris was forced down on a frozen lake 200 miles south of Murmansk after it strayed off course into Soviet airspace on April 21, 1978. During the forced landing, fire from a Soviet jetfighter killed two and wounded 13./Chosun Ilbo DB

MOSCOW -- A Korean Airlines (KAL) Boeing 707 carrying 110 passengers and crew from Paris to Seoul that was forced to land in Murmansk after it went off course in 1978 came under missile fire from a Soviet jetfighter, it was revealed Tuesday. But the rockets missed their target and a major disaster was averted.

It was earlier believed that the aircraft was forced to land when Russian fighters fired warning shots, but in fact Soviet authorities gave the order to shoot the passenger jet down. The aircraft was able to avoid annihilation by banking just as the Su-15 was firing its missiles.

Russia's state-owned 1TV revealed the new facts in a documentary on the incident based on testimony from Vladimir Dmitriyev, then-commander of the Soviet PVO (air defense) unit in Murmansk, fighter pilot Anatoli Kerepov and others who took part in bringing down the Korean airliner.

Dmitriyev said he scrambled a fighter after he realized Soviet airspace had been violated. When the fighter pilot confirmed the plane as a civilian airliner, Dmitriyev several times ordered the pilot to instruct the KAL aircraft to land, in accordance with international practice. But after the fighter pilot reported no response from the KAL aircraft, he ordered it shot down.

SAM missile batteries and the jet fighter were ordered to attack but failed because the KAL aircraft was flying at low altitude. The Su-15 then launched a heat-seeking missile, which missed its target and exploded in midair, severely damaging the airliner's wing, he said. The KAL plane immediately performed an emergency landing on Imandra Lake, 200 miles south of Murmansk. The program also said when the KAL plane switched direction for Finland in a bid to escape, Soviet authorities moved to quickly shoot it down.

Vladimir Vasiliev of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute for U.S. and Canadian Studies said the KAL 707's violation of Soviet airspace was very similar to one that would take place in 1983, when KAL 007 was shot down over Sakhalin Island. He said they were probably spy missions used by the U.S. to test Soviet air defense and command capabilities.

KAL 707 left Paris on April 21, 1978 and entered Soviet airspace on its way to Alaska. Two were killed and 13 wounded in the incident, and the survivors returned to Korea four days later.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[nuconvert]

"Vladimir Vasiliev of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute for U.S. and Canadian Studies .... He said they were probably spy missions used by the U.S. to test Soviet air defense and command capabilities"

lol. Yeah right. The U.S. always uses Korean passenger planes for spy missions.

[demlosers]

Dmitriyev said he scrambled a fighter after he realized Soviet airspace had been violated.

Yeah, the 707 penetrated hundreds of miles inland before it was intercepted. LoL!

Remember the German kid who landed at the Kremlin? Haahaa...

Imaging how successful our bomber force would have did in war finding their targets in the Soviet Union.

[demlosers]

Russkies wore alot of tinfoil.Heehee...

[Fierce Allegiance]

Mathias Rust, IIRC.

Real Name: Mathias Rust
Category: Politics
Claim To Fame: This is the guy who embarassed the Russians and astounded the world, when in 1987 at the age of 19 flew a Cessna 172B undetected all the way from Malmi airport in Helsinki, landing the craft in Moscow's Red Square.
He was sentenced to 8 years hard labour but released the following August.

Thanks for the following description from SuPi:

"He flew his plane over the sea and then dived under the radar. When he suddenly disappeared from the radar he was first believed to have crashed into the baltic sea. Major search effort was put to place in the coast of Finland before the news came from Russia."

[Monterrosa-24]

The more famous case of KAL 007 with conservative Congressman Larry McDonald aboard along with 268 others was pretty much the same case but with a more tragic result. The pilot even discussed the red light flashing on top before firing a rocket which sent the aircraft on an eleven minute decent to the Pacific.

Red lights are always flashing on spy planes.

[JimRed]

"He flew his plane over the sea and then dived under the radar. When he suddenly disappeared from the radar he was first believed to have crashed into the baltic sea. Major search effort was put to place in the coast of Finland before the news came from Russia."

Which showed that cruise missiles would have been the most effective way to hit Russia with little warning.

[Who dat?]

They keep saying the KAL planes “strayed” and such, but it was pretty common knowledge that they intentionally entered Soviet airspace – even after being told quite clearly not to do it.

[Jet Jaguar]

Thanks for the the ping. Passing it along.

[BTHOtu]

I will never forget President Carter's strong, forceful response to the Soviets after this tragedy. It made me proud to be an American.

[Alex Marko]

no, but we'd shadow commercial airliners with smaller jet figthers.

[Rebelbase]

"the 707 penetrated hundreds of miles inland before it was intercepted."

[phasma proeliator]

Carter made you proud to be an American... Now there is something you don't see everyday...

[Airborne1986]

I am not an aviator, but the KAL pilot seemed to have some skills. Evasive maneuver to dodge a missile and an emergency landing with a 707. Pretty impressive.

[ScreamingFist]

lol. Yeah right. The U.S. always uses Korean passenger planes for spy missions

Actually, the US uses RC-135 aircraft, which happen to be Boeing 707's. Doesn't surprise me in the least that the Russians thought they were spy planes, heck the RC's were probably collected data at the time.......

[Tallguy]

I am not an aviator, but the KAL pilot seemed to have some skills. Evasive maneuver to dodge a missile and an emergency landing with a 707. Pretty impressive.

I think you can assume that any KAL pilot had prior military experience, but I think that this 'engagement' says more about the low-skill of the PVO/Soviet Airforce pilot and the ineffectiveness of Soviet air-to-air heat-seeking missile. I mean how the heck does a 707 break a missile lock? Those 4 engines would have been easily 'visible' to an AIM-9 Sidewinder. How could you miss?

[monday]

"Carter made you proud to be an American... Now there is something you don't see everyday..."

I think it was a lame attempt at sarcasm. At least I hope it was, for his sake.

[BTHOtu]

Oops, forgot my sarcasm tag.

[nuconvert]

I think you're missing the point, that this Vasiliev is writing this after the fact, and saying that they WERE spy missions, not that they may have been mistaken for spy missions. Big difference.