Mr. Russell wrote a widely distributed Internet message in August declaring that the plane was shot down by a Navy missile, a contention long denied by Federal officials.

Until last month, the new Navy missile had never been tested with more than eight warheads.

He was disturbed by the dismal performance of Navy air-to-air missiles in engagements with North Vietnamese fighter jets.

"We don't have any evidence of a Navy missile," she said.

The report also pointed to a Navy missile called the Extended Range Guided Munition.

If she could somehow find and photograph a secret Navy missile that had crashed near a populated area . . . What a scoop that would be!

I came here to check out a rumor that a new Navy missile had gone astray and crashed in the Gulf of Mexico.

One of the goals of project Broken Arrow is to find a Navy missile that has been lost somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico.

As it turned out, the old Navy missile was right where it belonged.

In another effort to shore up public confidence in the investigation, board engineers are working specifically to counter allegations that the plane was shot down by a Navy missile.