British Pilots Mourn Loss of 2nd Air Crew : Casualties: An RAF squadron leader tearfully recounts his feelings after another Tornado bomber is shot down.

British Royal Air Force pilots broke down in tears today when they returned from a mission in which a second Tornado bomber was lost.

The emotional scenes at Muharraq air base followed yet another strike against Iraqi air installations.

“You feel guilty that you have survived and they haven’t,” said squadron leader Pablo Mason, 40, from Birmingham. The 13-year-veteran of the Royal Air Force should have been celebrating his 17th wedding anniversary today.

Mason cried as he attempted to explain how he came to terms with going airborne time and again on bombing missions, knowing it could be his turn next to be shot down.

“You have got to control your emotions,” he said as tears rolled down his cheeks. “You feel cynical, terribly cynical. There is a constant awareness that in a few seconds’ time you might not exist.”

On the squadron’s second sortie into enemy territory, an engine of one of the two-man Tornado bombers caught fire after being hit and the plane crashed. The pilot and navigator were seen to eject and there is hope that they are safe.

Then early today, another of the jets crashed on return from the bombing mission. There are fears the crew may have died with the aircraft.

The men of the squadron have one of the toughest jobs of the allied air contingent, which has conducted thousands of sorties over Iraq and occupied Kuwait over the last two days.

Mark Paisley, a 26-year-old pilot from Oxford, described his emotions after hearing of the loss of one plane.

“We went out as four crew, now we are three crew. Tomorrow there might be two or one. It’s just not sunk in that they have not come back.”