Carter had authorized a commando raid to free the American hostages held in Teheran since November 4, 1979.
On the night of April 24, 1980, six U.S. C-130 cargo planes landed in the desert 300 miles southeast of Teheran.
In the midst of a blinding sandstorm, three of the operation’s eight helicopters malfunctioned.
The mission came to a fiery end when one of the helicopters crashed into a cargo plane.
Eight soldiers were killed, five were severely burned, and seven aircraft were destroyed. The hostages were not freed until Carter left office on January 20, 1981.
