In September 1983 the Cold War was on the brink of becoming hot. The Soviet Union had shot down a Korean Air Lines Boeing 747 that had strayed over their airspace. The strike resulted in the deaths of all 269 on board, including prominent conservative congressman Larry McDonald.
The intentional hit by the Soviets remains tangled in controversy to this day. However, just five years earlier an eerily similar incident occurred.
Korean Air Lines flight 902 was a scheduled operation from Paris, France to Seoul, South Korea with a refueling stop in Anchorage. On April 20, 1978, the Boeing 707 operating the route took off from Paris with Captain Kim Chang Ky at the controls, with 97 passengers and 11 crew members under his command.
