Accident
While taxiing in fog, the crew of Korean Air Lines Flight 084 (KAL) experienced disorientation. This led to the aircraft being positioned on the wrong runway for takeoff. As the DC-10 began its takeoff roll, it collided head-on with South Central Air Flight 59, a Piper PA-31 registered as N35206, which was simultaneously taking off from runway 06L-24R. The Piper had been scheduled to fly to Kenai. All nine occupants of N35206 were injured. After the impact, the DC-10 continued beyond the runway end, overrunning by 1,434 feet, and came to a stop 40 feet to the right of the extended centerline.
Probable Cause
The official investigation identified the following probable cause: The pilot of Korean Air Lines Flight 084 failed to adhere to accepted taxi procedures, which caused him to become disoriented during runway selection; the pilot did not use the compass to verify his location; and the pilot decided to commence takeoff despite uncertainty about whether the aircraft was on the correct runway. Contributing to the accident were the fog conditions, which reduced visibility so that the pilot could not ascertain his position visually and the control tower personnel could not assist. Also contributing was the absence of legible taxiway and runway signs at several intersections that Flight 084 passed while taxiing.