“A6-FIN, the frequency for the ILS Approach to Runway 30L is 109.7, land your aircraft and follow the vehicle that will direct you to parking,” commands the F-14 pilot.
Captain Pierce does not acknowledge but continues the approach and landing. After landing, the jet transport turns right to exit the runway and is met by a truck with a “Follow Me” sign on the back. Several large military trucks are following the BBJ to its parking stand on a remote parking area on the east side of the base. The F-14 and the other Iranian fighter jets stay airborne just in case Captain Pierce decides not to comply with instructions or the American fighter jets in Iraq make an attempt to interfere.
As Captain Pierce brings the Boeing BBJ to a stop, Yosef reaches into his backpack for a hidden Mini Uzi that he brought with him on this flight. A couple of the engineers pull their weapons out of their backpacks, also.
Captain Pierce orders, “Don’t be fools, look out the windows, we are surrounded and your weapons are would be useless. You are going to get us all killed. Put them away, better yet; hide them in the back of the aircraft. Our only chance of survival is to comply with their wishes, otherwise we all die!”
As they were speaking about one hundred elite Pasdaran soldiers have surrounded the aircraft with their weapons poised and ready to open fire. An air stair is wheeled up to the forward door and an officer bangs his hand on the door. He demands that the crew open the door and exit the aircraft. Captain Pierce opens the door and all the weapons are pointed at him.
The IRGC officer in charge says to Captain Pierce, “Welcome to Iran, you are being detained for violating Iranian airspace. Please have your passengers deplane the aircraft.”
Before he can utter a protest, Pierce is grabbed and pulled out of the door of the airplane.
“You will comply with all my instructions or you will be shot! Do you understand? Now tell your crew to deplane all twenty-four passengers, immediately!”
Captain Pierce shouts back at the aircraft’s doorway, “Chris, Carol; get all the passengers off the aircraft.”
“Now that is better,” says the IRGC officer. He motions for the trucks to approach the aircraft and load the passengers. “Search them for weapons, passports and other IDs,” he orders his men.
As each passenger deplanes and walks down the air stair; he is thrown to the tarmac, searched and his hands are tied behind their back. The engineer’s mouths are covered by tape and then they are led to one of the waiting trucks. After each Israeli is loaded onto the waiting trucks, the IRGC officer and three soldiers enter the aircraft to search for anything that the Israelis have left behind. They find the bags with the weapons and satellite telephones. They confiscate these bags. The aircraft’s baggage compartments are opened and the Israelis’ baggage is loaded onto another waiting truck. The three trucks leave immediately and drive to an adjacent parking area where a waiting C-130 is parked with its engines running. This aircraft is loaded quickly and taxis to the end of runway 30R for departure. The IRGC officer in charge waits until the C-130 is airborne.
Then the Iranian officer turns to Captain Pierce and says, “You can now board your aircraft and depart Iranian airspace. We have no quarrel with Bahrain. Leave, now!”
Captain Pierce tells Chris and Carol to prepare for departure.
“This should be interesting,” comments Chris. “We have no flight plan and no clearance. We are just going to pop up in Kuwaiti airspace and hope that we do not get shot down before we can explain what happened.”
Captain Pierce looks at him and says, “Would you rather stay here? I feel terrible about what just happened to the Israelis. God only knows where they are being taken and what will happen to them. Let’s just get airborne and deal with what comes.”