KAL 007 Shootdown

The 1983 destruction of a civilian airliner that inflamed the Cold War

Overview

Korean Air Lines Flight 007, a Boeing 747 with 269 people aboard, strayed off course into Soviet airspace over Kamchatka and Sakhalin on September 1, 1983 and was destroyed by an Su-15 interceptor after misidentification. Moscow admitted the shootdown days later amid global outrage. The tragedy sharpened Cold War hostility, and the Reagan administration subsequently offered GPS for civilian aviation safety. Later inquiries showed the Soviet chain of command never confirmed the target was civilian before firing. Recovery operations later retrieved the flight recorders, confirming the airliner had strayed by navigation error.