1.
1.1
1.1.1
FACTUAL INFORMATION
History of the flight
The Korean Air Lines (KAL) flight KE 007 originated in New York at 04:05 hours on 31 August 1983. It landed in Anchorage at 11:30 hours after an uneventful flight. The three inertial navigation systems (INS) and the weather radar system operated normally.
1.1.2
The flight crew for the Anchorage-Seoul sector of flight KE 007 had arrived in Anchorage from New York via Toronto on a non-scheduled cargo flight on 30 August 1983 at 22:37 hours. They had been accommodated in the KAL hostel. The crew was picked up from the hostel by a crew bus one hour and twenty minutes before the revised time of departure. The KAL flight operations briefing was conducted by the KAL dispatcher and covered aircraft ramp position, departure time, ATS flight plan, route, flight level, alternate airports; departure, destination and alternate airport weather; en-route winds, temperatures and upper air conditions; details of the computer flight plan, fuel requirements, passengers. and cargo; notices to airmen (NOTAMs); and the maintenance status of the aircraft. The pilot-in- command checked and approved the computer flight plan, the ATS flight plan, the Flight Release Sheet and the Weight and Balance Manifest.
1.1.3
The KAL procedure was for the co-pilot to switch on the three inertial navigation systems. insert the present (ramp) position confirmed from the Route Manual, and initiate system alignment. Each flight crew member was required to check the present position entry. Waypoint co- ordinates would then be entered during the system alignment. The pilot-in-command accepted the aircraft by signing the Flight and Maintenance Log.
1.1.4
The KAL schedule listed KE 007 to depart at 12:20 hours. The scheduled flight time for Anchorage-Seoul was eight hours twenty minutes with a scheduled time of arrival of 21:00 hours (06:00 hours Korean standard time). Due to less than average head winds, the computed flight time was seven hours fifty-three minutes. The practice of KAL was to reschedule the Anchorage departure for arrival in Seoul at 21:00 hours since passenger handling and customs services were not available prior to that time. Accordingly the departure from the gate at Anchorage was rescheduled to 12:50 hours.
1.1.5
The flight was to depart on the Standard Instrument Departure (SID) No. 8 and to proceed to Bethel VORTAC on ATS route J501. The flight was then to proceed on ATS route R20 in the North Pacific (NOPAC) composite route system to reporting point NIPPI where the flight would enter Tokyo Oceanic FIR and later enter the Taegu FIR for landing at Seoul. Route R20 was adjacent to USSR airspace along the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Kuril Islands. The initial flight level (FL) was 310 with planned changes en route to FL 330 after NUKKS and to FĽ 350 after NIPPI.
1.1.6
KE 007 called Anchorage Tower at 12:50 hours, reported receipt of automatic terminal information service (ATIS) Sierra and requested en-route clearance to Seoul. KE 007 was cleared to Seoul at FL 310 and was assigned secondary surveillance radar (SSR) transponder code 6072. At 12:58 hours KE 007 was cleared for take-off from runway 32 and was airborne at 13:00 hours. Radar contact was established shortly after take-off and KE 007 was cleared to climb to FL 310 maintaining a heading of 220°, and to proceed direct to the Bethel VORTAC when able. The Anchorage VOR/DME was out of service. Radar service was terminated at 13:27 hours when the aircraft was close to Cairn Mountain NDB, which was on ATS route J501. The Kenai air route surveillance radar showed that the
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