Pilot of fighter jet downed over Iran was previously shot down in Kuwaiti friendly fire incident, sources say

The pilot of the F-15E fighter jet downed over Iran was also flying one of the jets shot down at the start of the war by Kuwaiti friendly fire, two people familiar with the incidents tell CBS News. 

Just over 30 days after safely ejecting during the friendly fire incident, the pilot was on a mission over Iran when the jet was hit by a surface-to-air missile, prompting a daring rescue operation. 

The pilot’s dual shootdowns were first reported by national security reporter Sean Naylor in his Substack The High Side. 

In the opening days of the war, the pilot was among six aircrew members who safely ejected after three F-15E Strike Eagles were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses — specifically, a Kuwaiti fighter jet — over Kuwait in a friendly fire incident. Remarkably, just weeks later, the pilot was again forced to eject when the F-15E they were flying was shot down by an Iranian missile on April 3.

CBS News previously reported that the pilot, who sustained serious injuries, was rescued after several hours, and the second crew member was rescued after nearly two days in hiding. 

“The courage demonstrated by both the pilot and the weapons system officer while isolated and them evading the enemy cannot be overstated,” Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said during an April briefing at the White House after the two had been rescued. 

“Their grit and warfighting tenacity is a direct result of the absolute trust they have in our rescue forces, their training and their will to survive and return,” Caine said.  

The Pentagon referred questions to U.S. Central Command, which declined to comment. 

“It is a highly unusual coincidence,” said Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula, who is the Dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies and was the principal attack planner for the air campaign for Operation Desert Storm, during the 1990-1991 Gulf War. 

Deptula told CBS News in a phone interview that he couldn’t think of a pilot being shot down in separate incidents during the same campaign since potentially as far back as the Vietnam War. 

“It’s like getting hit by lightning twice,” Deptula said.