KAL 007

Korean Air Lines Flight 007 (KAL 007) was a commercial flight from New York City to Seoul via Anchorage, Alaska, that was shot down by a Soviet Union fighter jet on September 1, 1983. The flight, operated by Korean Air Lines, was carrying 269 passengers and crew members, including U.S. Congressman Lawrence McDonald.

The aircraft was flying over restricted airspace near Sakhalin Island, a disputed territory between the Soviet Union and Japan, when it was intercepted and shot down by a Soviet fighter jet. The incident caused the deaths of all passengers and crew on board.

The shootdown of KAL 007 was widely condemned by the international community, and it had significant political and diplomatic repercussions. The United States and other countries imposed economic sanctions on the Soviet Union, and tensions between the two countries were heightened during the Cold War era. The incident also led to increased scrutiny of the use of commercial aircraft in sensitive airspace and the importance of maintaining communication and coordination between air traffic control centers.