Baghdad DHL attempted shootdown incident: Shortly after takeoff, a DHL Express cargo plane is struck on the left wing by a surface-to-air missile and forced to land.
2003 Baghdad DHL attempted shootdown incident
On 22 November 2003, shortly after takeoff from Baghdad, Iraq, an Airbus A300B2-200F cargo plane, registered OO-DLL and owned by the Belgian division of European Air Transport, was struck on the left wing by a surface-to-air missile while on a scheduled flight to Muharraq, Bahrain. Severe wing damage resulted in a fire and complete loss of hydraulic flight control systems. Because outboard left wing fuel tank 1A was full at takeoff, no fuel-air vapour explosion occurred. Liquid jet fuel dropped away as 1A disintegrated. Inboard fuel tank 1 was pierced and leaking.
DHL
DHL is a multinational logistics company, founded in the United States and headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It provides courier, package delivery, and express mail service, delivering over 1.7 billion parcels per year. A subsidiary and the namesake of DHL Group, its express mail service DHL Express is one of the market leaders for parcel services in Europe. DHL also operates a separate parcel service targeting the German consumer market in conjunction with Deutsche Post.
November 22
November 22 is the 326th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 39 days remain until the end of the year.