Soviet airspace violations
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The former Soviet Union, as one of the world superpowers, was largely closed to foreigners and jealously guarded its airspace during the Cold War years. Intrusions were rare but they did occur, sometimes without incident, and other times tragically.
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Seaboard World Airlines DC-8 (1969)
On July 1, 1968, a Seaboard World Airlines DC-8-61 departed Anchorage, Alaska bound for Yokota Air Base in Japan. The plane was piloted by Joseph D. Tosolini, with copilot Henry Treger, flight engineer Earl Scott, and navigator Lawrence Guernon. Originally from McChord Air Force Base, Washington the flight was bound for Saigon, Vietnam, carrying 214 American troops and 24 crew members. The aircraft strayed westward as it came into range of Japan, passing along the Kuril Islands. Japanese radar controllers notified the crew of the error. However before the crew could react, Soviet fighter aircraft, piloted by Yu. B. Alexandrov, V.A. Igonin, I.F. Evtoshenko and I.K. Moroz, intercepted the DC-8 at 7:20 pm and directed it to land at Burevestnik airfield on Etorofu Island. It did so at 7:39 pm
Diplomatic negotiations between Washington and Moscow began, but foreign minister Andrei Gromyko said that there was no assurance the plane could be released. The passengers were confined to the aircraft, allowed outside only within about 100 meters of the plane. After a formal apology, the plane was released on the evening of July 3.
Korean Air 707 (1978)
On April 20, 1978, a Korean Air Boeing 707 (HL7429) piloted by Kim Chang Ky was en route from Paris to Anchorage (and onward to Seoul). It suffered an inertial navigation error while crossing Iceland and began a very slow turn eastward, unknown to the crew. The plane entered Russia's Kola Peninsula near the Finnish border. Initially it was thought to be an RC-135 reconnaissance plane. It was intercepted by a Sukhoi Su-15 fighter jet piloted by Capt. A. Boskov. Boskov argued with his superiors against firing on the plane, but his superiors, convinced the plane was an undercover spy plane, overruled him.
A missile impact damaged the left wing and the aircraft lost pressurization. Two of the 97 passengers died from concussion wounds. The 707 descended into clouds and became separated from the fighter jet. It flew low over the terrain for an hour, searching for a landing spot, and as dusk fell the crew elected to land on a frozen lake at Korpiyarvi 250 miles south of Murmansk, about 20 miles from the Finland border.
The passengers were released, while the crew were held until they made a formal apology. The Soviet Union invoiced Korea for $100,000 in caretaking expenses. The loss of the plane's whereabouts over Soviet territory proved to be an embarrassment and led to internal turmoil within the Soviet defense hierarchy.
Korean Air 747 (1983)
On September 1, 1983, a Korean Air Boeing 747 was shot down over Sakhalin Island, killing all 269 aboard. The tragedy sparked outrage throughout much of the international community and had a sharp effect on foreign policy. See Korean Air Flight 7 for detailed information.
Cessna in Moscow's Red Square (1987)
On May 28, 1987, German 19-year old Mathias Rust landed a Cessna 172 aircraft in Red Square. He had flown directly from Helsinki and penetrated the Soviet Union. The flight was tracked and followed by two interceptor jets, but no order to fire was given due to repercussions from the Korean 747 incident four years prior. Rust's idealistic intent was to bridge the gap between West and East, meet with Mikhail Gorbachev, and defuse the Cold War. His landing caused considerable confusion among the local authorities.
In the end, the defense ministers and nearly 2,000 officers were fired. According to some sources, Mikhail Gorbachev used the incident to purge and restructure the military.
Rust's trial began three months later on September 2. He was sentenced to four years in a Soviet labor camp, actually serving just over a year.