Editing Korean Air Lines Flight 007 (section)

===Passenger pain and suffering===
Passenger [[pain and suffering]] was an important factor in determining the level of compensation that was paid by Korean Air Lines.

Fragments from the [[proximity fuse]]d R-98 medium range air-to-air missile exploding {{convert|50|m|ft}} behind the tail caused punctures to the [[Cabin pressurization|pressurized passenger cabin]].<ref name="ICAO93-93"/> When one of the flight crew radioed [[Tokyo Area Control Center|Tokyo Area Control]] one minute and two seconds after missile detonation his breathing was already "accentuated", indicating to ICAO analysts that he was speaking through the microphone located in his oxygen mask, "Korean Air 007 ah... We are... Rapid compressions. Descend to 10,000."<ref name="ICAO '93, p. 35">ICAO '93, p. 35</ref>

Two expert witnesses testified at a trial before then Magistrate Judge [[Naomi Reice Buchwald]] of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. They addressed the issue of pre-death pain and suffering. Captain James McIntyre, an experienced Boeing 747 pilot, and aircraft accident investigator, testified that shrapnel from the missile caused [[Uncontrolled decompression|rapid decompression]] of the cabin, but left the passengers sufficient time to don oxygen masks: "McIntyre testified that, based upon his estimate of the extent of damage the aircraft sustained, all passengers survived the initial impact of the shrapnel from the missile explosion. In McIntyre's expert opinion, at least 12&nbsp;minutes elapsed between the impact of the shrapnel and the crash of the plane, and the passengers remained conscious throughout."<ref>''See Hollie v. Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd.'', 60 F.3d 90 (2d Cir. 1995) (decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Nos. 907, 1057 August Term, 1994 (Argued: April 5, 1995, Decided: July 12, 1995, Docket Nos. 94–7208, 94–7218)).</ref>