KAL - Flight 007

Korean Air Lines Flight 007 (KAL 007, KE 007 was a Korean Air Lines civilian aircraft that was shot down by a Soviet jets on Thursday, September 1, 1983, over the Sea of Japan, just west of Sakhalin Island. All 269 passengers and crew aboard were killed, including Lawrence McDonald, a sitting member of the United States Congress. The Soviet Union initially denied knowledge of the incident, but later admitted shooting the aircraft down, claiming that it was on a spy mission.