USS Vincennes Shoots Down Iran Air Flight 655

On July 3, 1988, the USS Vincennes shot down Iran Air Flight 655, a passenger flight from Bandar Abbas to Dubai, in the Strait of Hormuz. All 290 people aboard died, including 66 children. The US Navy's Fogarty Report confirmed the aircraft was in civilian airspace, ascending, and transmitting civilian transponder codes. Commanding officer William C. Rogers III ordered the missile launch. President Ronald Reagan expressed regret but defended the action. The US paid $61.8 million to victims' families in 1996. Iran accepted a ceasefire with Iraq six weeks later, which observers cite as partly influenced by this incident.