Korean Air Lines Flight 15 was a Boeing 747-200 on a scheduled passenger journey from Los Angeles (LAX/KLAX) to Seoul-Gimpo (Kimpo) International Airport (SEL/RKSS) with a stopover in Anchorage International Airport, AK (ANC/PANC). On the 19th of November 1980, it crashed during an attempted landing in Gimpo. Out of the 226 passengers and crew, 15 perished in the accident, and the aircraft was irreparably damaged.
As the Korean Air Lines 747 approached runway 14 at Gimpo International Airport, the conditions were calm with a visibility of 1,000 meters in fog. The aircraft touched down 90 meters before the runway threshold, striking a 45-degree embankment. This impact forced the main landing gear backwards and upwards, tearing open the plane's underside into the cargo area and breaking the struts. The aircraft then skidded along the runway on its nose gear and underbelly. The wings remained intact, and no fuel tanks were breached.
A fire broke out in the cargo section due to sparks and leaking hydraulic fluid from the damaged struts, but there was no fuel fire. Smoke quickly filled the aircraft. Flames spread through the floor grills, engulfing the seats and rapidly consuming the fuselage.
The evacuation was relatively organized, but some passengers sustained injuries while disembarking. The smoke intensified quickly, leading to smoke inhalation among some survivors. Out of the 18 crew members and 208 passengers, 6 crew members and 9 passengers succumbed to fatal injuries caused by the fire, and four passengers sustained serious injuries.
Aircraft Information:
Airline: Korean Air
Code: KE/KAL
Aircraft: Boeing 747-2B5B
Registration: HL7445
Serial Number: 21773
Engines: 4 x PW JT9D-7AFirst Flew: 23/03/1979
Age: 1.8 Years
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