They shot down a A300 thinking it was an F14, and they were in a heightened level of alert because they (the USS Vincennes) were in Iranian waters, chasing a small naval boat that they claimed shot at their helicopter.
As an aside, the IR655 tragedy was one of the first were data was available to separate fact from fiction.
As an aside, the IR655 tragedy was one of the first were data was available to separate fact from fiction.
http://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/18/opinion/witness-to-iran-fl...
This tragedy, IR655, and KAL007 are all stark reminders that war is often without discretion.