Investigation Summary
On December 23, 1983, Anchorage International Airport was blanketed by heavy fog with visibility as low as one-eighth of a mile. Southcentral Air Flight 59, a Piper Chieftain, was waiting at the approach end of Runway 6L for visibility to improve to its required minimums. Simultaneously, Korean Air Lines Flight 084, a DC-10-30CF cargo flight, was cleared to taxi to Runway 32. Due to the dense fog, the ground controller could not see the aircraft, and the DC-10 crew struggled to navigate the taxiway system. Several taxiway signs were burned out or missing, and the high vantage point of the DC-10 cockpit increased the slant range, making ground markings harder to see. The DC-10 crew mistakenly taxied onto Runway 24R, which intersected with Runway 6L where the Piper was holding. Although the Captain expressed uncertainty about their position, the First Officer reassured him they were correct. The crew did not check their compass or heading indicators, which would have shown a heading of 240 degrees instead of the expected 320 degrees. As the DC-10 accelerated, the Captain saw the Piper's lights and attempted to steer away, straddling the smaller aircraft with the DC-10's landing gear. The DC-10 then overran the runway, struck approach light towers, and caught fire. The Piper was sheared apart by the impact, but its occupants managed to duck before the collision.
Final Conclusions
The NTSB determined the probable cause was the failure of the Korean Air Lines pilot to follow accepted taxi procedures, leading to disorientation, and the decision to take off despite being unsure of the aircraft's position. Contributing factors included the dense fog, the inability of tower personnel to visually monitor the aircraft, and the lack of legible taxiway and runway signage at key intersections.
Photographic Evidence (1)
Video Analysis
Disoriented Pilots | 1983 Anchorage Runway Collision — A detailed look at how a Korean Air Lines DC-10 ended up on the wrong runway in thick fog, leading to a head-on collision with a Piper Chieftain.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
Korean Air Lines 084 — McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30CF (MSN 46960, Built 1977) · HL7339
Systems & Failure Modes
Heading Indicators
Cockpit instruments that display the aircraft's current compass heading; the crew failed to use these to verify they were on Runway 32 (320°) instead of 24R (240°).
Runway Visual Range (RVR)
A system measuring the distance a pilot can see down the runway; the RVR was 1,800 feet for the Piper but significantly lower for the DC-10's intended runway.
Taxiway Signage
Visual aids for ground navigation; several signs at Anchorage were burned out or missing, contributing to the crew's disorientation.
Interesting Facts
- 01The DC-10's cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was never recovered from the wreckage.
- 02The visibility at the time of takeoff was one-eighth of a mile, which was below Korean Air's own operating specifications for Runway 32.
- 03The DC-10 straddled the Piper Chieftain, shearing off its wings but avoiding a direct fuselage strike that likely would have been fatal.
- 04Runway 24R was only approximately half the length required for the DC-10 to take off safely, even without the collision.
- 05All 9 occupants of the Piper and 3 crew members of the DC-10 survived the accident.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Signage Improvements
Source ↗Following the accident, the deficiency in signage at the intersections of taxiway W-1 with the east-west taxiway and with runway 6L/24R was rectified to ensure taxiway identities were clearly indicated to flight crews.