6 August 1997 - Korean Air 801 The aircraft, a Boeing 747-300 with registration HL7468, was conducting a night-time approach to Guam runway 06L. Because of the unavailability of the ILS glide slope system (due to upgrading of the system), a VOR/DME approach was flown. Flight 801 had descended 800ft below the prescribed altitude, struck the 709ft Nimitz Hill at a height of 650ft and crashed in a jungle valley, breaking up and bursting into flames. The aircraft ended up at a height of 560ft, 250m from the UNZ VORTAC (located on the top of Nimitz Hill). It was established a.o. that the software fix for the Minimum Safe Altitude Warning (MSAW) system at Agana Center Radar Approach Control (CERAP) had rendered the program useless. A software patch had been installed since there had been complaints of the high rate of false MSAW alarms at Guam. This made KAL801's descent below MDA go undetected at the Agana CERAP.
Special Link: Radar Data with selected ATC and CVR communication excerpts
Transcript of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR)
LEGENDA:
Guam CERAP: CERAP
Agana FCT, Local Control: LC
Korean Airline Flight 801: KAL801
Ramp Control: RAMP
Andersen AFB Control Tower: Andersen
15.38.06 CERAP inbound 15.38.12 LC agana tower 15.38.13 CERAP twelve west korean air eight zero one seven forty seven i I s six left k m 15.38.18 LC understand seven four 15.38.20 CERAP thats what i show 15.38.22 LC all right thanks t o 15.39.23 CERAP km 15.41.07 KAL801 agana tower korean air eight zero one ah (unintelligible) localizer six left 15.41.14 LC korean air eight zero one heavy agana tower runway six left---wind-zero niner zero at seven cleared to land verify heavy boeing seven four seven tonight 15.41.26 KAL801 korean eight zero one roger (unintelligible) six left 15.41.30 LC korean eight zero one heavy roger 15.44.02 CERAP was that nine eighty eight youre looking for 15.44.07 LC say again 15.44.09 CERAP guam to saipan is that nine eighty eight 15.44.11 LC affirmative 15.44.12 CERAP yeah i think we lost a flight plan so im just gonna make one up here---oops 15.44.18 LC ah he hadnt called me yet so they may not have put it in either he may have they may have cancelled it 15.44.23 CERAP ok 15.44.24 LC why dont we just hold off till he calls for it 15.44.26 CERAP km 15.44.28 LC to 15.45.25 LC korean air eight zero one heavy tower how do you hear 15.47.03 RAMP this is juan 15.47.05 LC yeah korean air eight zero one heavy ah---aircraft change on the type is that a permanent change 15.47.11 RAMP ah no thats just ah one of those temporary deals 15.47.14 LC is that one of the temporaries 15.47.15 RAMP yeah they they their normal is an airbus its just i guess 15.47.19 LC yeah 15.47.19 RAMP they have more passengers this time around 15.47.21 LC all right what gate is he on 15.47.22 RAMP ah hes going to gate twelve 15.47.23 LC all right thanks t o 15.47.24 RAMP (unintelligible) 15.48.05 LC korean air eight zero one heavy agana tower 15.49.51 RAMP this is juan 15.49.52 LC yeah korean air come up to you 15.49.53 RAMP ah no 15.49.54 LC all right thanks t o 15.49.55 RAMP *(all right) 15.49.56 LC approach agana 15.50.15 LC korean air eight zero one heavy agana tower 15.50.23 LC approach agana did korean air come back to you 15.50.28 CERAP eight zero one 15.50.29 LC affirmative 15.50.35 CERAP no 15.50.35 LC he checked in with me i cleared him to land i dont know where hes at--never did have him in sight 15.50.41 RAMP you never saw him 15.50.45 CERAP he didnt land 15.50.46 LC negative 15.50.50 CERAP oh my god 15.50.52 LC stand by a second 15.50.58 RAMP this is juan 15.51.00 LC yeah did korean air 15.51.01 RAMP no in fact im listening to cerap i dont even hear eight zero one i can hear you on the radio 15.51.06 LC yeah i tried to get a hold of him he called me ah i cleared him to land 15.51.09 RAMP yeah (unintelligible) 15.51.10 LC i never had him in sight 15.51.11 RAMP (unintelligible) you said cleared to land and i was looking around and i said wheres he at and thats when 15.51.14 LC yeah i never had him in sight hold on a second 15.51.17 LC andersen tower agana tower 15.51.18 CERAP dont see him on the radar 15.51.27 LC i dont see him either standby a second 15.51.30 Andersen go ahead 15.51.31 LC you didnt have a boeing seven forty seven land up there did you 15.51.35 Andersen just now 15.51.36 LC affirmative 15.51.37 Andersen hu hu ah no i dont have any lights on so i dont i dont see anybody out there 15.51.41 LC well we're missing a boeing seven forty seven stand by 15.51.45 LC just checked with andersen they dont know where hes at either 15.51.49 CERAP is it raining out there 15.51.50 LC i got wet runway but ah--ive got a small ah shower pushing through but i dont have ah but i can see the approach end---standby a second 15.52.04 LC korean air eight zero one heavy agana tower 15.52.16 LC is that him talking to you 15.52.19 CERAP negative 15.52.26 LC i dont have him---he called me once i cleared him to land told him not in sight and i dont have him 15.52.34 CERAP well he must have crashed then 15.52.38 LC korean air eight zero one heavy agana tower 15.52.45 CERAP I'll talk to you later 15.52.46 LC to 15.52.47 LC you there---i do not have him---not in sight and i have a shower pushing through the field now im losing my visby 15.53.22 RAMP (unintelligible) *(lost him) 15.53.24 LC why we dont know where hes at we're still looking for him 15.53.27 RAMP what about cerap cerap 15.53.28 LC center doesnt have him either he hasnt gone back to center center doesnt have him on the radar 15.53.33 RAMP yeah last time he was with you right he was about what---ten out 15.53.37 LC something like that 15.53.38 RAMP yeah cause i heard you say you said not in sight but it sound like he was already ten out or something---from the time cerap let him go 15.53.45 LC yeah um he hasnt called you on your frequency 15.53.47 RAMP no 15.53.48 LC all right thanks 15.53.49 RAMP ok 15.53.50 LC approach agana 15.53.55 CERAP center 15.53.56 LC yeah i just checked with ramp they a ah havent i ya he hasnt called them either 15.54.02 CERAP well---he must have crashed then west of the airport 15.54.08 LC he was what ah about twelve out when you gave him to me ten or twelve out when you gave him to me 15.54.12 CERAP yes 15.54.14 LC o k i dont have him hes not on my frequency 15.54.18 CERAP well i dont know how you can have--somebody search west of the airport for the airplane 15.54.25 LC whos that ah inbound 15.54.27 CERAP I'll ask ryan 15.54.28 LC thanks t o 15.54.30 LC korean air eight zero one heavy agana tower 15.55.10 CERAP tower center inbound 15.55.13 LC agana tower 15.55.14 CERAP six south ryan seven eighty nine visual runway six left km 15.55.17 LC is he gonna be able to go out and take a look 15.55.19 CERAP yeah hes looking now 15.55.26 LC thanks t o 15.55.28 LC tower tower 15.55.28 RAMP is that him behind you 15.55.29 LC no thats ryan 15.55.31 RAMP oh thats ryan coming in now 15.55.32 LC affirmative 15.55.33 RAMP o k ill (unintelligible) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cockpit Voice Recorder Database, visit us at www.tailstrike.com
