Korean Air Lines Flight 642

The aircraft involved in the accident in 1971 while still in service with World Airways
Accident
Date	2 August 1976 (1976-08-02)
Summary	Controlled flight into terrain
Site	Mehrabad International Airport, Tehran, Iran
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Boeing 707-373C
Operator	Korean Air Lines
IATA flight No.	KE642
ICAO flight No.	KAL642
Call sign	KOREAN AIR 642
Registration	HL7412
Flight origin	Heathrow Airport, London, United Kingdom
Stopover	Mehrabad International Airport, Tehran, Iran
Destination	Gimpo International Airport, Seoul, South Korea
Occupants	5
Crew	5
Fatalities	5
Survivors	0

Korean Air Lines Flight 642 was a Boeing 707 operated by Korean Air Lines, which crashed shortly after takeoff from Mehrabad International Airport on 2 August 1976, killing all five people on board.^[1]

The aircraft involved was a Boeing 707-373C registered as HL7412, with serial number 19715. It first flew in 1967, and was delivered to World Airways on November 7. It was leased to Pakistan International Airlines from September 1970 to June 1971, and the registration was changed to AP-AWE. The aircraft was later changed back to World Airways, and the aircraft was leased to Korean Air Lines from September 1971.^{[1][failed verification]}

On 2 August 1976, the aircraft was scheduled to fly a cargo flight from London to Seoul via Tehran.

Flight 642 was cleared to take off from Runway 29 at Mehrabad International Airport amid limited visibility. The pilot did not follow the Standard Instrument Departure when taking off from the airport, and instead of turning left, they turned right after takeoff. Flight 642 crashed into a mountain 17 kilometers west-northwest of Mehrabad International Airport at an altitude of 2,020 meters, killing all five people on board.^[1][2]

The cause of the accident was attributed to the pilot's failure to follow standard instrument departure procedures while taking off from Runway 29 at Mehrabad International Airport.^[2][3]