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Date: | Wednesday 27 February 1991 |
Time: | |
Type: | McDonnell Douglas AV-8B-7-MC Harrier II |
Owner/operator: | VMA-331 / USMC |
Registration: | 162740 |
MSN: | 512060/057 |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | near Safwan -
Iraq
|
Phase: | Combat |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | USS Nassau |
Destination airport: | |
Confidence Rating: | Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Narrative:Shot down by SA-7. Pilot did not eject, and was killed. Pilot later named as Capt. Reginald C. Underwood.
On that day, he was flying in formation with three other planes after taking off from the amphibious assault ship, the USS Nassau. The mission's target was a convoy of military vehicles traveling north toward Basra. The pilots decided to fly beneath cloud cover at about 8,000 feet to get a clear view, making their Harriers easier targets.
When the missile hit, the commanding officer of Underwood's squadron was flying 1,000 feet away. In retrospect, says Lt. Col. Jerry W. Fitzgerald, it was a mistake to be flying so low. The plane crashed in a huge fireball. Underwood's body was later found in the wreckage of the plane just inside Iraq.
Sources:
Scramble
http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries21.html
http://www.pulitzer.org/archives/6725 (Obituary of pilot)
https://www.navalhistory.org/2011/02/20/harriers-from-nassau
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VMA-331
Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
07-Sep-2010 14:30 |
ASN Archive |
|
19-Aug-2011 03:48 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Operator, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |