On July 3, 1988, Iranian Flight 655 departed Tehran, Iran, at approximately 10:47 AM, with Dubai as its final destination. Unfortunately, it was shot down by the USS Vincennes, captained by William C Rogers. The Airbus A300 had 290 souls on board, all of whom perished. This attack was chalked down to miscommunication between the Airbus A300 crew and the U.S. cruiser concerning the identity of the passenger plane. It did not help that the region was experiencing war.
More Facts
- Iran Flight 655 was an Airbus A300 departing from Tehran heading to Dubai.
- The guided missile was shot from the USS Vincennes, a United States Navy guided missile cruiser.
- The guided missile hit the Air Autobus shortly after it departed its stopover at Bandar Abbas International Airport.
- The flight had 290 souls on board, all of whom perished. There were 274 passengers and 16 crew members on board.
- Among the 274 passengers, 238 were of Iranian nationality, 13 were of United Arab Emirate nationality, ten were of Indian nationality, six were of Pakistan nationality, six were of Yugoslavian nationality, and one was Italian. All 16 crew members were of Iranian nationality.
- Iran Flight 655 was gunned down during the Iran-Iraq war, which at the time had been ongoing for eight years.
- The United States government made a payment of $61,800,000 to the families of those lost in the attack.
- The then president of the United States of America, Ronald Reagan, issued a diplomatic note addressed to the Iranian government, explaining his deep regret over the incident.