I agree with all of the above and it was a DC-10 by that point in time it had a slightly better reputation than initially but it was still a crappy plane really Douglas cheapend themselves is accompanied by putting it out quickly and half-assed.If the Soviets are not telling, then nobody would know what happened. There was AFAIK no radio message from the plane about the missile IOTL, and there would not be ITTL. The plane would have been lost over the sea in the Arctic area, and quite possibly no trace of it would be seen ever again (the Soviets would probably try to make sure of this). Even if parts of it turned up in the sea, it would be a long shot that they would conclusively prove what caused the plane to be destroyed. Especially as the Soviets would stonewall any Western claims and call them lies and propaganda.
In Finland (and Japan), this would be a big piece of news, and would be considered a well-known, perennial mystery since the 80s. The unexplained "accident" might have an effect on the success of Finnair's long-haul flights. The truth of the matter might come to light when Soviet archives open up after the fall of the USSR. Then again, it might not.
The thing that would cause most butterflies would be who exactly was aboard the plane when it was downed. It would be interesting to know the passenger list.
I disagree. It could have political repercussions in the USSR itself. Gorbatsjov could have used this against his hardline enemies. Although he got rid of many already in the Mathias Rust affair in May 1987, he would be presented with another opportunity to show the incompetence of the soviet army, and get rid of some apparatshic. Remember that he was also the one to go against the silence about chernobyl.If the Soviets are not telling, then nobody would know what happened. There was AFAIK no radio message from the plane about the missile IOTL, and there would not be ITTL. The plane would have been lost over the sea in the Arctic area, and quite possibly no trace of it would be seen ever again (the Soviets would probably try to make sure of this). Even if parts of it turned up in the sea, it would be a long shot that they would conclusively prove what caused the plane to be destroyed. Especially as the Soviets would stonewall any Western claims and call them lies and propaganda.
In Finland (and Japan), this would be a big piece of news, and would be considered a well-known, perennial mystery since the 80s. The unexplained "accident" might have an effect on the success of Finnair's long-haul flights. The truth of the matter might come to light when Soviet archives open up after the fall of the USSR. Then again, it might not.
The thing that would cause most butterflies would be who exactly was aboard the plane when it was downed. It would be interesting to know the passenger list.