GENERAL INFORMATION

NARRATIVE

[O] On August 6, 1997, about 0142:26 Guam local time, Korean Air flight 801, a Boeing 747-3B5B (747-300), Korean registration HL7468, operated by Korean Air Company, Ltd., crashed at Nimitz Hill, Guam. Flight 801 departed from Kimpo International Airport, Seoul, Korea, with 2 pilots, 1 flight engineer, 14 flight attendants, and 237 passengers on board. The airplane had been cleared to land on runway 6L at A.B. Won Guam International Airport, Agana, Guam, and crashed into high terrain about 3 miles southwest of the airport. Of the 254 persons on board, 228 were killed, and 23 passengers and 3 flight attendants survived the accident with serious injuries. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a postcrash fire. Flight 801 was operating in U.S. airspace as a regularly scheduled international passenger service flight under the Convention of International Civil Aviation and the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 129 and was on an instrument flight rules flight plan. [Recommendations] A-00-7. Require principal operations inspectors assigned to U. S. air carriers to ensure that air carrier pilots conduct a full briefing for the instrument approach (if available) intended to back up a visual approach conducted at night or when instrument meteorological conditions may be encountered. [Responses] FAA LTR DTD: 4/4/00 The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) agrees with the intent of this safety recommendation and will issue a flight standards information bulletin. The bulletin will direct principal operations inspectors to ensure that air carrier pilots conduct a full briefing for the instrument approach (if available) intended to back up a visual approach conducted at night or when instrument meteorological conditions may be encountered. It is anticipated that the bulletin will be issued by October 2000. I will provide the Board with a copy of the bulletin as soon as it is issued. NTSB LTR DTD: 6/27/00 The FAA reports that it will issue a flight standards information bulletin directing principal operations inspectors (POIs) to ensure that air carrier pilots conduct a full briefing for the instrument approach (if available) intended to back up a visual approach conducted at night or when instrument meteorological conditions may be encountered. Pending issuance of the bulletin, Safety Recommendation A-00-7 is classified "Open Acceptable Response." FAA LTR DTD: 8/21/01 The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) agrees with the intent of this safety recommendation and on June 28, 2001, issued Flight Standards Information Bulletin for Air Transportation 01-05, Approach Preparation: Preparing for an Instrument Approach as Backup in Night VMC or Whenever IMC May Be Encountered. The bulletin directs principal operations inspectors to ensure that air carrier pilots prepare for an instrument approach as a backup during operation in night visual meteorological conditions or whenever instrument meteorological conditions might be encountered. The bulletin directs POIs to recommend that this practice be explicitly included and emphasized in standard operating procedures developed by air carrier certificate holders for use by flightcrews in their training and operations in accordance with Advisory Circular (AC) 120-7, Standard Operations Procedures for Flightdeck Crewmembers. I have enclosed a copy of the bulletin for the Board's information. I consider the FAA's action to be completed in response to this safety recommendation. NTSB LTR DTD: 1/23/02 On June 28, 2001, the FAA issued Flight Standards Information Bulletin for Air Transportation (FSAT) 01-05, "Approach Preparation: Preparing for an Instrument Approach as Backup in Night VMC [visual meteorological conditions] or Whenever IMC [instrument meteorological conditions] May Be Encountered." This bulletin directs POIs to ensure that air carrier pilots prepare for an instrument approach as a backup during operation in night VMC or whenever IMC might be encountered. The bulletin also directs POIs to recommend that this practice be explicitly included and emphasized in standard operating procedures developed by air carrier certificate holders for use by flight crews in their training and operations in accordance with Advisory Circular (AC) 120-7, "Standard Operations Procedures for Flightdeck Crewmembers." With the issuance of FSAT 01-05, the FAA has completed the action recommended. Accordingly, Safety Recommendation A-00-7 is classified "Closed Acceptable Action." 2

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