Archive · 14 Sep 2026
Injured Airman Recounts Survival After F-15E Shot Down
A U.S. fighter jet was flying near Isfahan, Iran, when a missile hit it.
The two people on board had to escape using parachutes.
They landed far apart from each other.
One airman, called Alpha, was rescued by helicopters after about six hours.
The other airman, called Bravo, landed hard after his parachute was damaged.
He broke his back, arm and shoulder.
Bravo hid and moved through valleys and cliffs for about two days.
Around 90 highly trained U.S. service members and intelligence specialists helped rescue him.
Bravo said surviving the ordeal felt like a miracle.
A U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle was downed by a shoulder-fired missile near Isfahan, Iran, on April 2.
The two-person crew ejected separately after the missile damaged the aircraft and Bravo’s parachute.
Bravo, a U.S. Air Force colonel, suffered a broken back, arm and shoulder during a high-speed fall.
Alpha was rescued by American helicopters about six hours after the crash, while Bravo survived roughly two days in the desert.
A rescue operation involving about 90 elite U.S. service members and Central Intelligence Agency intelligence support recovered Bravo.
- Who
- U.S. Air Force airmen Alpha and Bravo, along with U.S. military personnel and Central Intelligence Agency intelligence staff.
- What
- A U.S. F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down, leading to separate rescues of its two-person crew.
- When
- The aircraft was shot down on April 2; Alpha was rescued about six hours later and Bravo about two days afterward.
- Where
- In a mountainous high-desert area south of Isfahan, Iran.
- Why
- The crew was conducting a strike on Iranian industrial or arms facilities connected to the country’s drone and missile program, and U.S. forces launched a rescue operation after the crash.
- Aircraft
- F-15E Strike Eagle
- Mission call sign
- Dude 44
- Crash date
- April 2
- Crash location
- Mountainous terrain south of Isfahan, Iran
- Weapon
- Shoulder-fired missile
- Bravo’s injuries
- Broken back, arm and shoulder
- Rescue effort
- About 90 elite U.S. service members, with Central Intelligence Agency intelligence support
