Single error saw 290 die as packed airliner blasted out sky by US Navy 'Robocruiser'
dailystar.co.ukUS Navy warship shot down a civilian airliner, killing almost 300 and setting a grim record that remained unbroken until the destruction of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine 26 years later.
All 290 people on board the Iran Air Airbus A300 died when it was destroyed by an SM-2MR surface-to-air missile fired from the US Navy guided missile cruiser USS Vincennes.READ MORE: 'I blame Putin for my son's death after Russia shot down flight MH17 over Ukraine'The tragic mistake was blamed on “combat stress,” by the US Navy.
The Vincennes was one of a number of US Navy ships deployed to the Persian Gulf to protect oil shipments against the background of the Iraq-Iran war.The American ships had themselves come under attack in the past.
The USS Stark was struck by two Exocet missiles launched from an Iraqi Dassault Mirage F1, resulting in the deaths of 37 sailors, with 21 others severely injured.Earlier on July 3, the Vincennes had been involved in a confrontation with Iranian gunboats, which was later offered as a partial justification for the catastrophe.But Captain Will Rogers III, the skipper of the Vincennes, had a reputation for aggressive action.
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