The two reviews of the tragic incident, in which human body parts were later found in the crew of the plane’s wheel, concluded that the crew was “in compliance with applicable rules of engagement,” said Anne Stefanek, a spokeswoman for the Air Force. . on Monday. The reviews were conducted by the Air Force Aviation Mobility Administration and the United States Central Command. It remains unclear exactly how many people lost their lives in the August 16, 2021 incident, as a crowd of Afghans, desperate to flee the country after their government collapsed under the Taliban, climbed off the plane and fell from it. flight took off. Video of the horrific scene, recorded by the Afghan media, made the rounds of the world. “This was a tragic event and our hearts go out to the families of the dead,” Ms Stefanek said in a statement. Pentagon officials said the injured crew members were later sent to consult with mental health professionals and priests. Ms Stefanek said the crew “acted properly and exercised sound judgment in its decision to board the air as quickly as possible when faced with an unprecedented and rapidly deteriorating security situation”.
Reportage from Afghanistan
During the panic at the airport in the days following the fall of the Afghan government, US pilots and soldiers were forced to make difficult decisions on the ground. Hours before the plane left Kabul, another C-17 had taken off with 640 people on board – more than double the planned number – as hundreds of Afghans evacuated from the State Department boarded the loading ramps. said military officials. The pilots decided the huge aircraft could handle the cargo and took off, officials said. This plane landed safely at its destination. Early the next morning, a gray Air Force plane – a REACH885 dial – landed on the runway. The timber jet carried equipment and supplies for US Marines and soldiers who secured Kabul airport and helped evacuate thousands of Americans and Afghans. Minutes after the plane landed, stopped and lowered its rear ramp, hundreds, perhaps thousands of Afghans rushed forward. Crew members jumped back on the plane and pulled the loading ramp before completing the unloading, officials said. By then, crowds of Afghans had climbed onto the wings and, unbeknownst to the crew, to the wheel shaft that would fold the landing gear after takeoff, officials said. The crew contacted the air traffic control, which was operated by US military personnel, and the plane was approved to take off. The pilots traveled slowly in the beginning. Military Humvees rushed to the side, trying to drive people away and out of the plane. Two Apache artillery helicopters flew low, trying to scare some people away from the plane or repel them with a powerful rotor wash. The REACH885 accelerated and was carried into the air. However, a few minutes later, the pilot and co-pilot realized that the landing gear would not be fully retracted. They sent a crew member to look through a porthole. It was then that the crew saw the remains of another unspecified number of Afghans stacked in the wheel well, apparently crushed by the landing gear. Scenes recorded in flight video showed other people drowning to death.
