Flight 007 facts
While investigating facts about Flight 007, I found out little known, but curios details like:
After Korean Air Lines Flight 007, a Boeing 747 carrying 269 people, was shot down in 1983 after straying into the USSR's prohibited airspace, President Ronald Reagan issued a directive making GPS freely available for civilian use, as a common good.
Korean Airline flight 007. In 1983, a 747 was shot down by the Soviet Airforce after encroaching on soviet airspace due to a navigation error. To ensure this never happened again, President Reagan authorised the release of previously military technology for civilian use. That tech was GPS.
In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across. Here are 11 of the best facts about Flight 007 I managed to collect.
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access to the classified US GPS system was opened up after navigational issues led to the Soviets shooting down Korean Airlines Flight 007
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After Korean Air Lines Flight 007 was shot down accidentally by the Soviet Union on Sept 1, 1983, GPS was made available for public use by Ronald Reagan just 15 days later.
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In 1988, the USS Vincenes mistakenly shot down Iran Air Flight 366, killing 290 passengers and crew, 5 years after the US nearly attacked Russia for doing the same thing with Korean Air Lines Flight 007
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On 14 March 1980 Polish flight engineer Ryszard Chmielewski switched shifts just before taking off in the doomed LOT Flight 007, only to perish 7 years later in LOT Flight 5055 in the same model of aircraft (IL-62) and for the same reasons (metal fatigue)
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Larry McDonald was "the most recent member of Congress to die violently while in office" when his passenger flight, Korean Air Lines Flight 007 was shot down by a Soviet Su-15 interceptor in 1983.
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Malcom X praised the Air France Flight 007 crash because it killed "over 120 white people on it."
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After the Korean Air Lines Flight 007 was shot down because it flew through prohibited Soviet Air Space. The event led to the worldwide access of GPS.
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It wasn’t until the USSR shot down a Korean passenger jet - flight 007 - in 1983 that the Reagan Administration in the US had the incentive to open up GPS for civilian applications.
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Prior to Russia shooting down Korean Airlines Flight 007 in 1983 they shot down ANOTHER Korean Airlines Flight (902) in 1978 which was forced to make an emergency landing on a frozen lake, although only 2 people died.
