Does Video Show Downed US Air Force Pilot In Iranian Custody?
X users shared a video on April 3, 2026, allegedly showing Iranian officials taking a U.S. Air Force pilot from a downed fighter jet into custody. The brief clip — which takes place in a large field — features a person training a gun on another person putting his or her hands in the air.
The claim: A video authentically shows a U.S. Air Force pilot of a downed fighter jet being taken into custody in Iran on April 3, 2026.
The posts read, “The American pilot is in the custody of the Sons of Haidar al-Karrar.” The posts did not further describe who or what “the Sons of Haidar al-Karrar” referenced.
In short, the posts miscaptioned the video, meaning users shared a genuine image or video with inaccurate descriptions.
The video — while real and displaying no signs of artificial intelligence — first appeared online many months before the U.S. and Israel started a war with Iran on Feb. 28, 2026. The clip did not show one of the pilots of a reported downed American aircraft in Iran.
BBC Verify senior journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh reported on X, “The claim that this video shows a US pilot being captured by Iranians after the downing of an F-15 fighter jet is false.”
The claim circulated after The Associated Press, Reuters and other news media outlets reported the downing of an F-15E Strike Eagle over Iran on April 3. One of the two aircraft’s crew members was rescued, with searches still underway for the remaining pilot, per reports.
A reverse image search located posts containing longer versions of the same video. Those posts — including a May 9, 2025, Facebook post — mentioned ongoing conflicts between India and Pakistan.
The India-based fact-checking website BOOM Bangladesh later reported the clip showed a paraglider from Bangladesh named Riyad who accidentally landed at a closed airport in Pakistan. The Bengali-language article, when translated to English, read as follows:
We also contacted the person seen in the video who identified himself as Riyad. Riyad told BOOM Bangladesh that he is a Bangladeshi citizen and is currently in Pakistan to take up paragliding training. Narrating the events of the video, Riyad said that during his regular training in Chitral, local pilots informed him that the Chitral airport was closed. Therefore, he planned to land near the airport, which has permission.
“While preparing for landing, I saw a grassy field with cows grazing, which I thought was safe for landing. But as I descended, I noticed the perimeter of the airport. Since paragliding is a non-motorized sport, there is no possibility of changing course or altitude once the landing begins.”
Riyad also said that after landing, airport security guards initially detained him, but later checked his documents and released him.
We didn’t independently verify the details BOOM Bangladesh published.