All Things Aviation
Re: All Things Aviation
A Soviet SU-15 interceptor shot down Korean Air Lines Flight 007 0n September 1st, 1983 after mistaking it for a US spy plane.
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Re: All Things Aviation
I thought they knew it was a passenger plane but shot it down anyway? Maybe faulty memory.
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Re: All Things Aviation
It was one the Kremlin’s most closely guarded secrets. Only known after the fall of the Soviet Union and the files opened up.johnny lightning wrote:I thought they knew it was a passenger plane but shot it down anyway? Maybe faulty memory.
The plane actually flew the same route all airliners fly today. But airliners used the magnetic compass at the time, prone to errors near the poles. And it was the height of the Cold War.
Plane actually crossed into Soviet territory twice. Fighters were dispatched and reported a commercial flight with lights on and passengers moving around inside.
Soviet general ordered the fighters to shoot it down. They obeyed.
As to who gave the order and who carried it out, Putin shut the Kremlin secrets for good.
In response to this tragedy, President Reagan gave all commercial flights access to the military technology known as GPS.
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Re: All Things Aviation
The navigation error wasn’t about compass use. All commercial aircraft have magnetic compasses. It’s not the main method of navigation.newkidontheblock wrote: ↑Mon Dec 19, 2022 1:44 amIt was one the Kremlin’s most closely guarded secrets. Only known after the fall of the Soviet Union and the files opened up.johnny lightning wrote:I thought they knew it was a passenger plane but shot it down anyway? Maybe faulty memory.
The plane actually flew the same route all airliners fly today. But airliners used the magnetic compass at the time, prone to errors near the poles. Not quite. And it was the height of the Cold War..
Plane actually crossed into Soviet territory twice. Fighters were dispatched and reported a commercial flight with lights on and passengers moving around inside.
Soviet general ordered the fighters to shoot it down. They obeyed.
As to who gave the order and who carried it out, Putin shut the Kremlin secrets for good.
In response to this tragedy, President Reagan gave all commercial flights access to the military technology known as GPS.
The whole thing was a combination of (potentially) some operational sloppiness, operational knee jerk, some jingoistic attitude by the eastern soviet sector, and just a little misfortune.
Remember, this route had been flown many times without incident.
As for GPS- you’d be surprised/shocked maybe, how even with GPS, sloppy crews get it wrong.
Re: All Things Aviation
Career arresting mistake.Freightdog wrote: ↑Mon Dec 19, 2022 5:52 amThe navigation error wasn’t about compass use. All commercial aircraft have magnetic compasses. It’s not the main method of navigation.newkidontheblock wrote: ↑Mon Dec 19, 2022 1:44 amIt was one the Kremlin’s most closely guarded secrets. Only known after the fall of the Soviet Union and the files opened up.johnny lightning wrote:I thought they knew it was a passenger plane but shot it down anyway? Maybe faulty memory.
The plane actually flew the same route all airliners fly today. But airliners used the magnetic compass at the time, prone to errors near the poles. Not quite. And it was the height of the Cold War..
Plane actually crossed into Soviet territory twice. Fighters were dispatched and reported a commercial flight with lights on and passengers moving around inside.
Soviet general ordered the fighters to shoot it down. They obeyed.
As to who gave the order and who carried it out, Putin shut the Kremlin secrets for good.
In response to this tragedy, President Reagan gave all commercial flights access to the military technology known as GPS.
The whole thing was a combination of (potentially) some operational sloppiness, operational knee jerk, some jingoistic attitude by the eastern soviet sector, and just a little misfortune.
Remember, this route had been flown many times without incident.
As for GPS- you’d be surprised/shocked maybe, how even with GPS, sloppy crews get it wrong.
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