Why The US Navy Shot Down A Passenger Jet

July 3, 1988 – an ordinary day, and an ordinary flight. But seven minutes into a 28-minute trip from Tehran to Dubai, disaster struck – and nobody saw it coming. Iranian air traffic controllers handed the plane off to their colleagues in Dubai with the words, "Have a nice flight." The pilot replied, "Thank you, good day." Eleven seconds later, the aircraft exploded, plunging into the water below with 290 passengers and crew. There were no survivors. The tragedy was no accident. Iran Air Flight 655 had been shot down by missiles fired from a U.S. Navy warship. As families grieved their lost loved ones, the world demanded answers – why did America shoot down a passenger jet? And what was the world in for next?