Accident Overview
On August 6, 1997, at about 0142:26 Guam local time, Korean Air Flight 801, a Boeing 747-3B5B (747-300) with Korean registration HL7468, operated by Korean Air Company, Ltd., crashed on Nimitz Hill, Guam. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and postcrash fire.
Flight Details
The flight departed from Kimpo International Airport in Seoul, Korea, as a regularly scheduled international passenger service under the Convention on International Civil Aviation and 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 1239. It was operating on an instrument flight rules flight plan. The crew consisted of 2 pilots, 1 flight engineer, and 14 flight attendants, along with 237 passengers, totaling 254 persons on board.
Approach and Crash
The airplane had been cleared to land on runway 6 Left at A.B. Won Guam International Airport in Agana, Guam. It crashed into high terrain approximately 3 miles southwest of the airport. The crash occurred at Nimitz Hill.
Survivors and Casualties
Of the 254 persons on board, 228 were killed. Twenty-three passengers and 3 flight attendants survived the accident with serious injuries. The airplane was destroyed.