An unusual scene was captured on film Monday morning as a female American fighter pilot was approached by civilians on the ground in Kuwait, after her F-15 fighter jet was shot down along with two others in a so-called friendly fire incident over the Gulf country.
In footage shared widely on social media, the pilot is seen on the ground after apparently ejecting from a downed plane, as at least two men approach her and one films the encounter.
As they approach, the man filming asks the pilot if she is okay. “Are you fine? Really?” he asked. “Do you need something to help you?”
“No, I’m okay,” the pilot responds.
“No problem, you are safe!” the Kuwaiti man then says. “You are safe, you are safe.”
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“Thank you for helping us,” he adds, as the pilot shrugs her shoulders and smiles.
Footage of Kuwaiti locals approaching one of the shot down American pilots this morning.
“Are you OK? Thank you for helping us.” pic.twitter.com/QCxUNxuSYF
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 2, 2026
Separate footage shows another American pilot being helped by several Kuwaiti civilians, who load him into the back of a car to return him to a US base.
⚠️ ???????????????????????????????? ???????????????? ⚠️
???????? | The U.S. F-15 fighter jet pilot who was shot down over Kuwait moments ago in a friendly fire incident is alive.
He ejected and is now being taken care of by a group of Kuwaitis… pic.twitter.com/HYbXIprMPO
— Iran Spectator (@IranSpec) March 2, 2026
The three F-15 fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses, the US military confirmed, after footage showed several planes spinning towards the ground as their pilots parachuted to safety.
“Three US F-15E Strike Eagles flying in support of Operation Epic Fury went down over Kuwait due to an apparent friendly fire incident,” US Central Command said in a statement, referring to the ongoing Israeli-American operation against Iran.
Footage of an F-15 falling out of the sky this morning over Kuwait, in an apparent “friendly fire” incident involving the U.S. Air Force. pic.twitter.com/GQvryfJ4C4
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 2, 2026
“All six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered, and are in stable condition,” CENTCOM said.
“Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation,” the statement continued, adding that the incident was under further investigation.
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