Second US pilot from downed jet recovered after firefight, still not out of danger: Report

A second US pilot from a downed F-15E fighter jet in Iran has been recovered following a “heavy firefight,” but remains in danger as efforts continue to extract both crew members from Iranian territory.

A US official told Al Jazeera that both personnel aboard the aircraft — which was shot down over southern Iran on Friday — have now been located and recovered. However, the rescue mission is still underway, and their safe evacuation has not yet been confirmed.

Iranian authorities claimed the F-15E Strike Eagle was brought down by air defence systems, marking the first such incident since the conflict began five weeks ago. Both US and Iranian forces launched urgent searches for the crew, with Washington aiming to secure their return and Tehran seeking to capture them as leverage.

While one pilot was rescued soon after the crash, the second remained unaccounted for until being located overnight, prompting a recovery operation that led to intense fighting.

“The latest information we have is that the crew member has not left Iranian territory,” the source said, warning that ongoing hostilities continue to put both the rescued personnel and recovery teams at risk.

There has been no confirmation yet that US forces have successfully evacuated the crew members to safety.