Iran Air Flight 655 was a scheduled passenger flight from Tehran to Dubai via Bandar Abbas and was shot down on the 3rd July 1988 by an SM-2MR surface-to-air missile fired from USS Vincennes, a guided-missile cruiser of the United States Navy. The aircraft, an Airbus A300, performing the Bandar Abbas Airport (BND/OIKB), Iran
to Dubai Airport (DXB/OMDB), United Arab Emirates leg was destroyed and all 290 people (16 crew and 274 passengers) on board were killed. The flight took off from runway 21 at 10:17 (local time) and climbed straight ahead. Two minutes later, the crew reported leaving 3500 feet for FL140 on Airway A59, estimating MOBET at 10:23. At 10:24:00 the aircraft passed MOBET out of FL120. At 10:24:43 the Airbus was hit by surface-to-air missiles. The tail and one wing broke off as a result of the explosions. Control was lost and the aircraft crashed into the sea. The jet was hit while flying over Iran's territorial waters in the Persian Gulf, along the flight's usual route, shortly after departing Bandar Abbas Airport.
The incident occurred during the Iran–Iraq War, which had been continuing for nearly eight years. Vincennes had entered Iranian territory after one of its helicopters drew warning fire from Iranian speedboats operating within Iranian territorial limits
Aircraft Information:
Airline: Iran Air
Code: IR/IRA
Aircraft: Airbus A300B2-203
Registration: EP-IBU
Serial Number: 186
Engines: 2 General Electric CF6-50C2
First Flew: 16/03/1982
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