Surface to air missile hit

[nagomi]

"MCCAIN: Surface to air missile hit and took the right wing off my airplane. My airplane violently gyrated. I ejected.

GONYEA: He was knocked unconscious and landed in the lake below. That moment was portrayed in this McCain campaign film."


How do I understand "surface to air missile hit"? It feels something is missing or customarily omitted.

source: From A POW Prison, John McCain Emerged A 'Maverick'

 

[kentix]

It is a bit confusing, as written.

A surface-to-air missile hit [my plane] and took the right wing off my airplane. My airplane violently gyrated. I ejected.

To me, the most confusing part is the missing A at the beginning and that hit is used as a verb, not a noun. It's easy to misread that at first, especially without the hyphens in surface-to-air. The [my plane] part isn't needed because he mentions his plane later in the sentence, but it would make more sense if he mentioned the plane earlier.

A surface-to-air missile hit my plane and took the right wing off. My airplane gyrated violently. I ejected.

 

[nagomi]

That's something that requires special knowledge. Thank you for the heavy lifting.

 

[sdgraham]

How do I understand "surface to air missile hit"? It feels something is missing or customarily omitted.

This is ordinary English. A "hit" is an impact.
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2018
hit /hɪt/ v., hit, hit•ting, n.
n. [countable]

1. an impact;
   strike;
   collision:a sudden hit against a window.
2. a blow:a direct hit.

 

[nagomi]

This is ordinary English. A "hit" is an impact.
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2018
hit /hɪt/ v., hit, hit•ting, n.
n. [countable]

1. an impact;
   strike;
   collision:a sudden hit against a window.
2. a blow:a direct hit.

If a "hit" is an impact, it sounds like it's a noun. How can it be a sentence? it's just "a Surface to Air missile hit." and it works?

 

[sdgraham]

If you're talking about the OP. it says the missile hit (verb) his plane and the hit took off the wing. It's all ordinary English.
Read it as:
"MCCAIN: Surface to air missile hit (and took the right wing off) my airplane. My airplane violently gyrated. I ejected.

 

[nagomi]

If you're talking about the OP. it says the missile hit (verb) his plane and the hit took off the wing. It's all ordinary English.
Read it as:
"MCCAIN: Surface to air missile hit (and took the right wing off) my airplane. My airplane violently gyrated. I ejected.

thank you.