1.15.2 Survivor Statements
Safety Board investigators and MOCT officials interviewed a surviving flight attendant and several passengers in a Guam hospital on August 9, 1997. In addition, 11 passengers responded to a Safety Board "Survivor Questionnaire" after returning to Korea. Information obtained from the interviews and questionnaire responses indicated that these survivors either had been ejected from the airplane during the impact sequence or had extricated themselves from the wreckage. Most of these survivors indicated that they were injured as a result of the impact; however, two survivors stated that they were injured by fire. Further, the survivors stated that, during their egress from the airplane, they encountered damaged seats, overhead bins that had fallen, and other unidentified obstacles.
A flight attendant who was seated in the R1 jumpseat (in the first class section) stated that she heard a loud "boom" before the airplane began shaking violently and breaking up. The flight attendant said that she was thrown from the airplane in her jumpseat during the impact. She then unfastened her restraint system, walked about 30 feet beyond the right side of the airplane, and assisted a female passenger.
Several surviving passengers stated that, after the impact, baggage from the overhead bins fell to the floor and that "intense flames and heat swept through the cabin." One survivor, who was seated in the aft economy class section (row 34), stated that her husband was engulfed by fire in the seat next to hers. Another passenger, a professional helicopter pilot, stated he felt what he thought was a "hard landing" but that the airplane then rolled and began to disintegrate. The passenger stated that he exited the burning cabin by walking through a large hole in the fuselage. He also said that a "ball of flame was going down the center of the airplane" and that passengers were screaming and calling for help.
1.15.3 Emergency Response
About 0150, the Guam Fire Department (GFD) communications center received an emergency call from a local resident, who reported seeing a fire in the hills near the airport. About 0158, after receiving notification of the accident from the CERAP controller (based on the Ryan International flight crew's observation of a "big fireball on the hillside"), the Agana tower controller alerted ramp control about the crash of Korean Air flight 801.[1] According to airport ramp control logs, ramp control initiated the required emergency notifications at 0202, including a call at 0208 to the Naval Regional Medical Center to place its personnel on standby. According to GFD communications center logs, notification of a downed aircraft was received from the Guam ramp control at 0207. Immediately afterward, the GFD communications center dispatched Engine Company No. 7, which was located about 3 ? miles from the accident site. According to the GFD chief, the departure of Engine No. 7 was delayed because its brakes had been drained to prevent an overnight buildup of condensation in the brake lines.[2] Thus, the brake lines had to be first recharged with air. Engine No. 7 departed the station at 0219 (12 minutes
- ↑ According to the Guam airport emergency response guidelines, ramp control is responsible for providing all communication/dispatch functions in the event of an emergency.
- ↑ After the accident, GFD policy was changed to drain fire truck brake lines only during periodic maintenance to prevent moisture from contaminating the lines. The GFD chief stated that a fire truck would not be taken out of service without having another vehicle in its place.
