What happened
On August 6, 1997, at approximately 01:42:26 local time, Korean Air flight 801, a Boeing 747-3B5B (747-300) with registration HL7468, crashed at Nimitz Hill, Guam. The aircraft had departed from Kimpo International Airport in Seoul, Korea, as a scheduled international passenger service flight operating under an instrument flight rules flight plan.
The crew was cleared to land on runway 6 Left at A.B. Won Guam International Airport in Agana, Guam. However, the aircraft struck high terrain located approximately 3 miles southwest of the airport. The impact and subsequent postcrash fire destroyed the airplane.
There were 254 people on board the flight, including 2 pilots, 1 flight engineer, 14 flight attendants, and 237 passengers. The accident resulted in 228 fatalities. Among the survivors, 23 passengers and 3 flight attendants sustained serious injuries.