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Aviation safety reports, made easier to study

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August 6, 1997 · Boeing 747-300 · H7468

Nimitz Hill

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
August 6, 1997
Injury Outcomes
254 injuries (228 fatalities, 26 serious injuries)
Location
Nimitz Hill
Aircraft
Boeing 747-300
Tail Number
H7468
Injuries
Fatal
Aircraft Damage
Destroyed
NTSB Number
DCA97MA058

The Board's full report is available at http://www/ntsb.gov/publictn/publictn.htm, AAR-00/01, PB00-910401. On August 6, 1997, about 0142:26 Guam local time, Korean Air flight 801, a Boeing 747-3B5B (747-300), Korean registration HL7468, operated by Korean Air Company, Ltd., crashed at Nimitz Hill, Guam. Flight 801 departed from Kimpo International Airport, Seoul, Korea, with 2 pilots, 1 flight engineer, 14 flight attendants, and 237 passengers on board. The airplane had been cleared to land on runway 6 Left at A.B. Won Guam International Airport, Agana, Guam, and crashed into high terrain about 3 miles southwest of the airport. Of the 254 persons on board, 228 were killed, and 23 passengers and 3 flight attendants survived the accident with serious injuries. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and postcrash fire. Flight 801 was operating in U.S. airspace as a regularly scheduled international passenger service flight under the convention on International Civil Aviation and the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 1239 and was on an instrument flight rules flight plan.

NTSB Probable Cause

the captain's failure to adequately brief and execute the nonprecision approach and the first officer's and flight engineer's failure to effectively monitor and cross-check the captain's execution of the approach. Contributing to these failures were the captain's fatigue and Korean Air’s inadequate flight crew training. Contributing to the accident was the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) intentional inhibition of the minimum safe altitude warning system (MSAW) at Guam and the agency's failure to adequately manage the system.

Full Narrative

The Board's full report is available at http://www/ntsb.gov/publictn/publictn.htm, AAR-00/01, PB00-910401. On August 6, 1997, about 0142:26 Guam local time, Korean Air flight 801, a Boeing 747-3B5B (747-300), Korean registration HL7468, operated by Korean Air Company, Ltd., crashed at Nimitz Hill, Guam. Flight 801 departed from Kimpo International Airport, Seoul, Korea, with 2 pilots, 1 flight engineer, 14 flight attendants, and 237 passengers on board. The airplane had been cleared to land on runway 6 Left at A.B. Won Guam International Airport, Agana, Guam, and crashed into high terrain about 3 miles southwest of the airport. Of the 254 persons on board, 228 were killed, and 23 passengers and 3 flight attendants survived the accident with serious injuries. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and postcrash fire. Flight 801 was operating in U.S. airspace as a regularly scheduled international passenger service flight under the convention on International Civil Aviation and the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 1239 and was on an instrument flight rules flight plan.

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time09:42 UTC
Nearest AirportAgana International Airpo (3nm WSW)
Runway6
Flight Plan FiledIFR
Flight Plan ActivatedYes
Aircraft FireGrd
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftBoeing 747-300
Tail NumberH7468
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageDestroyed
Operating RulePart 129
Engines4
Engine TypeTurbofan
Engine DetailsP&W · JT9D-7R4G2 · Turbofan · 54750
Seats385

People & Injuries

Injury Summary254 injuries (228 fatalities, 26 serious injuries)
Fatal228
Serious26
Minor0
Uninjured0
Total254
Crew 1Unknown

Conditions

ConditionsIMC
LightDark Night
Wind90° @ 6 kt
Visibility4 sm
CeilingBroken clouds 2500 ft
Altimeter29.00 inHg
Observation Time01:32
Weather SourceWFAC

Appendix: Source Data