missing US airman: Captured in Gulf War: Former British pilot John Peters reveals what it’s like to be shot down
His account brings a deeply human perspective to the high-risk military searches currently unfolding.
His words underline the intense pressure facing both the airman and rescue teams, with one crew member rescued and the other still missing, The Daily Mail reported.
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Former RAF pilot John Peters has offered a stark and deeply personal account of what it feels like to be shot down in enemy territory as US forces race to locate a missing airman after a fighter jet was shot down over Iran.
Peters, who was captured after his plane was shot down during the Gulf War in 1991, said the transition from the cockpit to enemy territory was nearly impossible to prepare for emotionally, despite years of training.
Speaking about the current situation, he said it was now a “cat-and-mouse game” for American rescue teams to try to reach the missing crew member before Iranian forces.
What happens when a jet is shot down?
Recalling the moment when his own plane was shot down, Peters explained how quickly everything changed.
“When we got hit by the missile, the plane spun several times and we were only about 50 to 60 feet off the ground and we were doing about 500 or 600 knots at the time and then we had to deal with the anti-aircraft guns.”
He said the plane suddenly burst into flames.
“Basically it’s a trained response and you’re trying to solve the problems, but I couldn’t see the back of the plane.”
“It was all orange flame and there was a donut about 15 feet around my plane – I couldn’t see the right wing of the plane – then you click a trained response and I know it sounds boring but that’s why we’re so trained, so now you realize you have to launch because this plane is going to fall apart around us, then you go through the controls to launch and then you launch. It’s the first time you’re going to do it because you never launch in practice but you have full faith. You pull that lever and you get out of the airplane and that’s just the way it is.”
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Despite the chaos, Peters said military training came to the fore.
“Then you click on a trained response and I know this sounds boring but this is why we trained so hard and you realize now you have to eject because this plane is going to fall apart around us.”
He added that ejection was something the pilots had never practiced in real life, but they had complete confidence in the system.
“This will be your first time doing this because in training you never jump out of the plane, but when you pull that lever you have full faith that you will get out of the plane.”
What does the missing US airman face now?
Peters said the most shocking part was what happened immediately after landing.
“You’re landing in enemy territory. You’ve just been through an extraordinary event where you were shot out of the sky and thrown out.”
He explained that he only stayed under the parachute for about ten seconds after jumping from a height of only 320 feet. “I had jumped from 320 feet, so I was only in my parachute for ten seconds. Then you’re on the ground. From a position of power in the air, being involved in this massive air force, as this poor American crew would have done, John and I literally turned into two little pink bodies in the desert:
“The transition is truly shocking. The first thing we did was giggle, which was actually ‘what do we do now?’ It was a truly pathetic thing to think.’
He said this dramatic change was very mentally taxing.
Still, he believes the missing U.S. airman will now rely entirely on training.
“Then you literally put in the next tape as it is because of your training and you think now we have to escape, and that’s exactly what the American crew is going to do right now.”
According to Peters, the individual will focus on survival, escape, and waiting for extraction.
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Why did Peters call this a ‘cat and mouse game’?
Speaking to Sky News, John Peters stressed that the search operation was now a race between the two sides.
“The United States needs to find its counterpart and will have combat search and rescue teams to do that and plan how to get that person out.”
He also warned that Iranian forces would likely flood the area.
“As you can imagine, the Iranians will try to saturate the region as much as they can because this is now a political game because it gives them a huge advantage.”
He said the phrase “cat-and-mouse game” really applies at this point.
For Americans, rescuing a downed crew member is both a military and political priority. Catching this person alive could be a huge advantage for Iran. Peters knows exactly how quickly a situation like this can deteriorate. He recalled that he and fellow airman John Nichol spent about two hours on the ground before Iraqi soldiers found them.
“We were on the ground for about two hours when about 20 Iraqi soldiers found us and they’re spread out in front of you with about 20 Kalashnikov machine guns and we have two small pistols.”
What happened next was terrifying. “We were lying on the sand with nothing to hide behind and the first bullet hit a few inches from my head and then came hundreds of bullets, we were literally buried in the sand with machine gun fire and eventually they got to us and we were trying to surrender but they were afraid of us too and they beat us.” They were eventually caught and beaten.
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What does this mean for the family of the missing airman?
Peters also touched on the emotional toll such events take on families.
“My thoughts are with individuals and squadron members right now because this situation certainly impacts your fellow air force members and their families. As a POW, you’re just playing with fate.”
He remembered leaving his wife and two young children behind when he went to war.
“For me, Helen, my wife, and we had two kids, I was two when I went to war and my daughter was six weeks old, because you’re the age you are when you’re an aircrew.”
While he says he has no lasting personal trauma from his POW experience, his warning about war remains strong.
“War should not be taken lightly; individuals suffer from it and countries suffer from it.”
As the search for the missing US airman continues in Iran, Peters’ words offer a rare glimpse into the terrifying reality of being alone behind enemy lines, where every second becomes a fight between training, instinct and fate.
FAQ
What did John Peters compare the current search to?
He described it as a “cat-and-mouse game” between rescuers and Iranian forces.
Was John Peters caught after he was shot?
Yes, he was captured during the 1991 Gulf War and detained for seven weeks.
