What happened
During an engagement in the lower Persian Gulf, a heavy bomber was intercepted by an F-14A belonging to the 81st TFW of the Iranian Air Force. The encounter involved the deployment of a C.601 anti-shipping missile, which targeted either the Danish tanker 'Kirsten Maersk' or an Iranian warship. During this sequence of events, the fighter aircraft utilized an AIM-54A air-to-air missile to strike the bomber.
Following the missile impact, the bomber lost stability and entered an uncontrollable descent. The aircraft subsequently crashed into the sea. There were no survivors from the incident, as the crash resulted in six fatalities among the crew members on board.
Findings
Investigations into the loss of the aircraft concluded that the primary reason for the crash was that the bomber was shot down by an Iranian fighter pilot during the aerial engagement.