A sailor directly involved in shooting a warhead would have a strong incentive to keep quiet about it. I agree that the rest of the crew would be unlikely to keep quiet, assuming they knew, particularly as it is now 25 years since then.
The Normandy and three subs were in the immediate vicinity at the time.
We have hundreds of witnesses of varying reliability saying missile.
We have Stephanopoulus and Kerry saying the plane was shot down.
In a coincidence paralleling Epstein’s demise, “Family members were told that all three satellites were malfunctioning on July 17.”
https://www.cashill.com/archive/twa800/10th_anny_10of10.htm
Navy and fuel tank both seem unlikely, but something happened. FBI, CIA and NTSB behavior seem suspicious.
The USS Normandy was too far away (about double an SM-2’s range) and submarines don’t have anti-aircraft missiles.