[Pages H6954-H6955]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

KOREAN AIR FLIGHT 801 TRAGEDY

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from Guam [Mr. Underwood] is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, while the rest of the Nation has turned
its attention to other matters, we on Guam are still reeling from the
aftermath of the worst air disaster in our island's modern history.
On August 6, 1997, at approximately 1:42 a.m. Guam time, a Korean Air
Boeing 747 enroute from Seoul to Guam crashed into a hill 3 miles short
of the runway at the airport. The jumbo jet carried 254 people, 228 of
whom have perished. The last victim of flight 801 was Mr. Chung Yong-
hak, who died on September 3 while being treated at Brooks Army Medical
Center in San Antonio, TX.
I rise today to express the people of Guam's condolences to the
family and friends of the crash victims. We shared their pain most
intimately, not only because it was on our soil but also because the
people on that plane were not entirely strangers. Nationalities and
citizenship aside, there were mothers and fathers, brothers and
sisters, sons and daughters, aunts and uncles, friends and neighbors
who were coming home or looking forward to a visit.
Guam is a small community and a significant number of our population
were touched by the loss of someone known to them in some way. Among
the dead, eight were returning Guam residents of Korean descent. And
among the survivors, there were four returning home.
Last December I had the pleasure of sitting with Mr. Kenneth Kim of
Tamuning as his daughter, Yuri Kim, was being sworn in as an officer of
the American Foreign Service. Yuri's first assignment is at the U.S.
Embassy in Beijing. She traveled to Guam, first to await word and then
to mourn the death of her mother, Jane, who was among the passengers of
that ill-fated flight.
Mrs. Jane Wha-Young Kim was active in community service affairs and
served as president of the Guam Korean Women's Association. She was
laid to rest on August 18, 1997, and is survived by Kenneth, Yuri, and
her son, Yong Sae. The Kim family will carry on and I, along with their
friends, will offer solace as best as I can.
The Dahilig family has also been severely affected by this tragic
event. Mr. Mike Dahilig of the village of Dededo, his sons, Richard and
Michael, his father-in-law Young Min Kim and his many brothers and
sisters are making preparations to inter Mike's wife Joung-Ok and their
1-year-old son Mitchell.
I want to express to them again and to all the families of Korea Air
Flight 801 our deepest condolences. Whether to respond to the ravages
of typhoons or earthquakes, the people of Guam have always pulled
together as a community and worked cooperatively to attend to one
another's needs.
In the early hours of August 6, our abilities were challenged to the
maximum, but I stand proudly today to say that civilian and military
personnel and volunteers from all sectors of our community joined
forces, not merely as a consequence of training and function but in the
spirit of kindness and compassion.
By 6 a.m. on the morning of the crash, more than 500 civilian and
military rescue personnel were on the site, which is in plain view from
the roadside on Nimitz Hill but unaccessible by motorized vehicles.
Rescue personnel, carrying what equipment they could manage, clambered
down a steep ravine and up the other side. Desperately trying to reach
survivors, they trekked for a mile and a half through mud and
swordgrass.
To reach the crash site, bulldozers widened a narrow utility road
leading to a navigational beacon just yards from the crash site.
Additionally, cranes were utilized to lift debris and wreckage so that
victims and survivors could be reached. None of the first rescue
personnel ever gave up hope of saving lives. As if unsatisfied with the
toll on human life, the crash of Korean Air Flight 801 also claimed the
life of an Air Force volunteer who suffered a heart attack while
assisting at the crash site.
Mr. Speaker, America can be proud of its men in uniform, men and
women in uniform, who were stationed on Guam. The Navy, on whose
property the crash occurred, the Air Force, the Coast Guard, the Guam
National Guard, and the U.S. Army all responded quickly,
professionally, and compassionately.
The U.S. Army delegation was composed of airline crash investigators
from the Army Central Identification Lab in Hawaii who just happened to
be on Guam to examine a World War II B-29 crash site.
Men and women from nearly every department and agency of the
Government of Guam rallied to meet the crisis, either as professionals
or volunteers. The Guam Fire Department, the Guam Police Department,
Guam Airport Authority, Office of Civil Defense, Departments of Mental
and Public Health, Public Works, Parks and Recreation, Labor,
Corrections, Youth Affairs and the Energy Office, the Governor's
office, all allocated equipment, supplies, and personnel to meet the
rescue and treatment efforts.
Guam's business community also offered their full support. From
Continental Airlines to small businesses like a McCrory Store, Little
Future, Boonie Dog Designs, numerous establishments offered their time
and energy. Churches of every religious denomination, nonprofit, civic
organizations, and educational institutions lent their support.
As a result, the Guam Chapter of the American Red Cross was able to
deliver more than 9,000 meals to crash site workers and offer nearly
2,000 grief support encounters in the 7 days following the crash. No
one likes to point out that this is an opportunity to see the community
work together, but the people of Guam certainly could be proud of their
effort.
Mr. Speaker, I include the following for the Record:

August 11, 1997.
His Excellency Kim Young Sam,
President, Republic of Korea, Presidential Palace, Seoul,
Korea.
Your Excellency, The courage, strength and stamina of
Asian-Pacific people in times of adversity are legendary.
Sadly, we know that the great people of the Republic of Korea
must again call upon these inherent qualities to bear the
terrible tragedy of the loss of Flight 801. In this, we, the
people of the Territory of Guam, join you in pain and sorrow,
and offer this message of hope: we have unfaltering
confidence in the legacy of the Korean people to triumph over
adversity. Together, we shall attend to the painful and
difficult tasks at hand; together, we shall endure this
tragedy; and together, we shall grow stronger in respect and
friendship.
On behalf of all the people of Guam, we send our deepest
and most heartfelt condolences to you, the families and
friends of all

[[Page H6955]]

the victims, and to the people of the Republic of Korea.
Please know that we are doing all we can to assist the
families in any way possible, and that we stand ready to do
more if need be.
Yoo Gam Eul Pyo Ham Ni Da. Si Yu'us ma'ase,
Carl T.C. Gutierrez,
Governor of Guam.
Robert A. Underwood,
Member of Congress.
____

[From the Pacific Daily News, Aug. 21, 1997]

Canceling Flights Is the Wrong response to Guam Korean Air Crash

Korean Ministry of Transportation and Korean airline
company officials may have overeacted to the recent crash of
Korean Air Flight 901.
That reaction may be an economic blow to both Guam and
Saipan, and can be interpreted as shifting blame away from
Korean Air and putting it on Guam International Airport
Authority and the Federal Aviation Administration.
According to Asiana Airlines, the company will suspend all
flights to Guam until Sept. 12, when the glide slope at the
Guam International Airport is supposed to be repaired.
That decision follows a Korean Ministry of Transportation
recommendation to stop night flights.
Korean Air has restricted its Guam-bound flights to
daylight operations and has completely canceled all flights
into Saipan until Oct. 25.
These changes may result in significant losses in tourist
revenue until service is fully restored.
The reason for the crash hasn't been established, but
National Transportation Board officials in early statements
were clear that the inoperative glide slope and a
malfunctioning altitude warning system did not cause the
airliner to go down.
In fact, other airline companies have not let the crash or
equipment inadequacies alter their schedules. They continue
to fly safe night approaches and landings into Guam's
airport. Their pilots seem confident they can handle flights
here.
If Korean airline companies are concerned about flying into
Guam at night, then perhaps they should stop all night
operations until this crash is thoroughly analyzed.
There are certainly plenty of challenging and even more
dangerous approaches to other airports where these airlines
fly.
It doesn't make sense to restrict flights coming to Guam
and Saipan without taking similar action elsewhere.
Instead, this appears to single us out and summarily put
the blame on U.S. air controllers, flight safety operations
and navigational equipment at airports on Guam and Saipan.
It would be much more constructive, in fostering
international relations and developing safer flights
procedures, to work more closely together on this problem,
than to appear to single us out for retribution.
____

Office of the Governor,

Territory of Guam,

August 27, 1997.
Hon. Joong Yol Aun,
Consul General, Consulate General of the Republic of Korea,
Agana, Guam.
Dear Consul General Aun: The Government of Guam would like
to extend its appreciation to the Consul General for his
expression of interest in the modalities of rescue procedures
carried out by emergency personnel of the Government of Guam
and the United States Government following the tragedy of
Korean Air Flight 801. We request the indulgence of the
Consul General in understanding that our responses represent
the views of the Government of Guam, and all references to
actions by the U.S. military should be reconfirmed by them.
We request that the facts be considered without prejudice.
A. Although there was some initial traffic congestion, a
broken fuel pipeline damaged by the aircraft blocked the
closest road to the crash. In addition, it must be pointed
out that the road itself did not lead directly to the site.
The aircraft crashed in an uninhabited and hard to reach
area. Fire trucks could not have reached or been driven down
to the wreckage because there was no path or road leading to
it. Additionally, witnesses who first reached the scene
indicate that intense heat made certain areas inaccessible
from the moment the crash occurred. They report it is nearly
impossible for anyone to have survived the fire in those
areas, which erupted immediately upon impact.
B. Throughout the rescue phase, every effort was made to
save all possible survivors. This priority was first and
foremost on the mind of everyone on the scene that night. The
brave men and women who were part of the rescue effort were
at constant risk throughout the operation. The commanders on
scene determined that it was impossible for any passengers to
still be alive in the areas burning, areas which were burning
for over a half-hour before rescuers could reach the scene.
Firefighters on the scene, professionally trained to
determine the best course of action in such situations,
indicated that dousing the wreckage with water would do
little in the way of extinguishing the fire. In fact,
spraying water on the wreckage could have posed an even
greater risk if pressurized hoses spread pieces of burning
metal onto survivors or rescue workers. Water could also have
dispersed burning fuel to unburned areas, and the use of
Halon, a firefighting agent, could also have posed a health
hazard to survivors or rescue workers. In some areas of the
wreckage, temperatures were estimated to be as high as 1100
degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, a decision was made by the
Navy to use the helicopters to fly survivors to the hospital,
rather than drop water. A water drop could very easily have
injured or killed more survivors or rescue workers.
C. The ``explosion'' referred to in your letter of 3:24
a.m. on August 6, was, according to preliminary reports, in
an area of the wreckage that did not contain survivors, and
while the immediate sound and flying debris was noticed by
rescue workers, it did not have any significant impact on the
rescue efforts underway, nor on the number of survivors
pulled from the wreckage. At the time of the explosion the
fire was generally confined to the fuel tank area of the
wing, and did not endanger any survivors.
I would also like to note that ABC News, one of the
agencies that first put out erroneous reports on the rescue
efforts, has retracted its inflammatory and false statements,
and the retraction has run on the ABC internet page.
Finally, I would like to sum up by saying that you have my
personal assurances, having been one of the first individuals
on the crash site, that the Government of Guam, the U.S.
Government, and all the civilian volunteers involved, did
everything within our power to rescue the survivors of Korean
Air Flight 801. Dozens of brave men and women put their lives
on the line to save every person who could be saved. I would
also like to note that a full investigation into the cause of
the crash will be issued by the National Transportation
Safety Board, and until that time, official reports on the
crash and the conduct of everyone involved will be under
review.
I trust this letter will satisfy your concerns. The
Government of Guam, Sir, wishes to take this opportunity to
extend to the Consul General the assurances of our highest
consideration.
Very truly yours,
Carl T.C. Gutierrez,
Governor of Guam.

____________________