Passengers 206 Fatalities 15 Number of deaths 15 | Crew 20 Survivors 211 Date 19 November 1980 Injuries (nonfatal) 4 | |
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Summary Controlled flight into terrain Similar Korean Air Flight 803, Korean Air Cargo Flight 6316, Asiana Airlines Flight 733, Korean Air Lines Flight 902, Korean Air Flight 85 | ||
Korean Air Lines Flight 015 was a Boeing 747 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 19 November 1980. Of the 226 passengers and crew on board, 15 were killed in the accident.
Accident
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. The pilot reported trouble with the controls 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.