If I remember that movie correctly the missile that started the fire was from John McCains plane. Ironically..... The missile that hit the Stark caused a move away from aluminum structures because its brittle and burns like Magnesium at high temperatures.
The missile was a zuni launched from an F-4 opposite deck of McCains plane. The missile hit his centerline fuel tank starting the conflagration.
The cause was arming the planes before they were ready to launch, a violation of safety procedures. In this case a transient charge set off the missile upon mating the pigtail connector on the pylon.
The movement away from aluminum superstructures was already in progress when Stark ate that missile. The Navy learned (albeit slowly) from the USS Belknap incident previously, and they’d already had stress crack issues in aluminum that were allowing water ingress. This is part of why the OHP class frigates ended up getting retired and we didn’t make many more of them; their replacements were supposed to have steel superstructures.
And before anyone points to the Falklands War, HMS Sheffield didn’t have an aluminum superstructure or hull at the time it ate an Exocet. Neither did HMS Coventry when she sucked up several Argentine bombs. HMS Antelope had an aluminum superstructure but a steel hull, took a 1000lb bomb through the hull that failed to explode, but when crew attempted to disarm and remove the bomb it detonated, setting off the magazines and gutting the ship instantly beyond hope of saving. HMS Ardent was of the same class, but ate several bombs in the stern through the hull; the bombs detonating inside the hull rendered the question of the superstructure and deck’s material an academic one.
Bullshit. As much as I didn't like McCain, it DID NOT start from his under-wing missle system while being loaded. It was another aircraft and videos prove it.