79 fatalities

1989-07-27: Korean Air Flight 803 — Libya

Libya

On July 27, 1989, a Korean Air Flight 803 was involved in an aviation accident near Libya. 79 people were killed. The investigation identified controlled flight into terrain as a causal factor. This summary draws on records from Wikidata contributors; 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesWikidata contributorsPrimary reportUpdated 1780111919Data APIEditorial standards

A Korean Air DC-10 crashed during its landing attempt at Tripoli, Libya, in 1989, resulting in numerous fatalities on board and on the ground.

What happened

On 27 July 1989, a DC-10 operated by Korean Air, identified as Flight 803, was performing an approach to land in Tripoli, Libya. During the landing phase, the aircraft crashed, leading to a significant loss of life. Of the 199 people on board the aircraft, 74 fatalities were recorded. The impact also caused the deaths of six people located on the ground near the crash site.

At the time of the accident, this event stood as the most lethal aviation disaster recorded in Libya. It remains one of the three deadliest air crashes in the country's history, following the accidents involving Libyan Arab Airlines in 1992 and Afriqiyah Airways in 2009.

Contributing factors

controlled flight into terrain

Investigation report by Wikidata contributors. Original record: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q626003. This page is a structured re-presentation; facts and quotes are in the CC0 (Wikidata).