How about a cite on that, not that I doubt it - it is consistent with all of the other oft reported episodes involving his unsat performance as a naval aviator. For example, he has never denied the fact that while still a flight student down at Corpus, he flew a Spad ito the water during carrier landing practice [FCLPs], alleging engine failure, which assertion was later proven to be a bare-a**ed lie!! Anyone else, other than a boat school Admirals brat, would have gotten the instant chop for the flying failure and very possibly a court martial for lying about it. His behavior in Forrestal during the fire was reprehensible. - While his shipmates, including many aviators, risked all by assisting in fighting the fire, McCain went below and made himself very scarce. The litany of his low character and very dubious motives in deepsixing the POW/MIA sighting records then being maintained in Bangkok is well-known among his critics. Is it any surprise that neither he nor Senator Kerry, his accomplice in this act of treason and betrayal, has ever been held to account? Songbird McCain is a thoroughly evil man and a disgrace to the naval service.
http://www.pythiapress.com/wartales/McCain-Shootdown.htm
from the article
“As other pilots saw it, John McCain, quite simply, had got himself shot down.”