🛫Korean Airlines Flight 7 takes off on a routine transpacific flight.
🌍The plane strays off course and enters Soviet airspace.
❓Why did the pilots not notice that they were off course?
🚫The Soviets mistake Flight 7 for a spy plane and attempt to shoot it down.
✈️Flight 7 narrowly escapes disaster and makes an emergency landing.
What caused Korean Airlines Flight 7 to go off course?
—The pilots forgot to switch the autopilot to navigation mode, resulting in the plane continuing on a heading instead of following the flight plan.
Why didn't the pilots notice that they were off course?
—This remains a mystery, as multiple experienced crew members failed to realize the navigational error.
How did the Soviets respond to Flight 7 entering their airspace?
—The Soviets mistook Flight 7 for a U.S. spy plane and attempted to shoot it down.
Did Flight 7 survive the encounter with the Soviet military?
—Yes, Flight 7 narrowly escaped disaster and made an emergency landing in the vicinity of Moneron Island.
Was there any fallout from this incident?
—The incident led to increased tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, but eventually diplomatic efforts resolved the issue.
00:00In 1983, Korean Airlines Flight 7 takes off on a routine transpacific flight.
11:18The pilots forget to switch the autopilot to navigation mode, resulting in the plane going off course.
09:28Flight 7 is already 12 nautical miles off course as it passes the Bethel Waypoint.
11:31The pilots fail to notice the navigational error and continue on the wrong heading.
06:57Flight 7 reaches the Battle Waypoint but is actually 12 nautical miles north of it.
11:46The plane continues on the wrong heading, straying farther off course.
09:59The Soviets mistake Flight 7 for a U.S. spy plane and attempt to shoot it down.
09:53Flight 7 narrowly escapes disaster and makes an emergency landing.
