<P> Korean Air Lines Flight 007 ( also known as KAL007 and KE007 ) was a scheduled Korean Air Lines flight from New York City to Seoul via Anchorage , Alaska . On 1 September 1983 , the South Korean airliner serving the flight was shot down by a Soviet Su - 15 interceptor . The Boeing 747 airliner was en route from Anchorage to Seoul , but deviated from its original planned route and flew through Soviet prohibited airspace about the time of a U.S. aerial reconnaissance mission . The Soviet Air Forces treated the unidentified aircraft as an intruding U.S. spy plane , and proceeded to destroy it with air - to - air missiles , after firing warning shots which were likely not seen by the KAL pilots . The Korean airliner eventually crashed in the sea near Moneron Island west of Sakhalin in the Sea of Japan . All 269 passengers and crew aboard were killed , including Larry McDonald , a Representative from Georgia in the United States House of Representatives . The Soviets found the wreckage under the sea on September 15 , and found the flight recorders in October , but this information was kept secret until 1993 . </P>
<P> Korean Air Lines Flight 007 ( also known as KAL007 and KE007 ) was a scheduled Korean Air Lines flight from New York City to Seoul via Anchorage , Alaska . On 1 September 1983 , the South Korean airliner serving the flight was shot down by a Soviet Su - 15 interceptor . The Boeing 747 airliner was en route from Anchorage to Seoul , but deviated from its original planned route and flew through Soviet prohibited airspace about the time of a U.S. aerial reconnaissance mission . The Soviet Air Forces treated the unidentified aircraft as an intruding U.S. spy plane , and proceeded to destroy it with air - to - air missiles , after firing warning shots which were likely not seen by the KAL pilots . The Korean airliner eventually crashed in the sea near Moneron Island west of Sakhalin in the Sea of Japan . All 269 passengers and crew aboard were killed , including Larry McDonald , a Representative from Georgia in the United States House of Representatives . The Soviets found the wreckage under the sea on September 15 , and found the flight recorders in October , but this information was kept secret until 1993 . </P>
korean airlines flight shot down by soviet union
korean airlines flight shot down by soviet union
Korean Air Lines Flight 007 ( also known as KAL007 and KE007 )
Korean Air Lines Flight 007 ( also known as KAL007 and KE007 )