Part 3/9:
Just moments after takeoff, the crew was instructed by air traffic control to bypass a certain waypoint on their flight plan, inadvertently placing them on a course that diverged significantly from their intended path. Instead of engaging the inertial navigation system (INS) to automatically guide the aircraft according to their flight plan, the pilots utilized a heading-select mode, sealing their fate.
As Flight 007 ascended into the evening skies, the pilots failed to confirm their position as they neglected to check their navigation instruments at vital waypoints, leaving them adrift in a cocoon of ignorance about their actual trajectory. An hour into the flight, the aircraft found itself 12 nautical miles off course—a deviation unacceptable for any seasoned flight crew.