“This was a tragic event and our hearts go out to the families of the deceased.” —USAF Spokesperson

In the final days of an inexplicable, disorganized withdrawal of American Forces from Afghanistan, an American C-17 Globemaster III aircrew was faced with a wartime decision—depart, or lose their aircraft, its cargo, and possibly their lives to a mob seeking egress from the war-torn nation. 

The crew—in keeping with the Rules of Engagement and Laws of Armed Combat—departed. 

Within hours, video images of Afghani civilians falling to their deaths from the landing-gear, sponsons, and wheel-wells of the departing C-17 went viral, flashing across the world’s social-media platforms in a firestorm of controversy and prattling analysts. The images inspired a panoply of vehemence, and underscored the chaotic last days of an otherwise defensible conflict.  

The C-17 had arrived Hamid Karzai International Airport in the Afghani capital of Kabul bearing equipment to support humanitarian airlift efforts. Shortly after touch-down, the aircraft  was surrounded by hundreds of Afghan civilians fearful of extremist, Taliban rule. 

Faced with a rapidly deteriorating security situation around the aircraft, the C-17 crew made the horrific but necessary decision to depart the airfield as quickly as possible. The crowd, however, continued to press the aircraft. Grainy footage of the C-17’s departure showed civilians grabbing onto the aircraft’s landing-gear assemblies and clinging to various fuselage components … 

The C-17 crew declared an in-flight emergency when they could not retract the aircraft’s landing gear, and proceeded to Al Udeid Air Force Base in Qatar. Upon its arrival at the base, Air Force investigators impounded the aircraft to collect human remains from its undercarriage, then turned the matter over to Qatari police, who declined to investigate further. However, the Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations (OSI) immediately announced it was reviewing the incident—connoting an uncertain future for the airmen who’d helped with one of the largest evacuation efforts in military history.

Nearly 10 months later, the OSI announced the C-17 crew had been cleared by military investigators and lawyers. 

"The Staff Judge Advocate offices from both the Air Mobility Command and the United States Central Command conducted a review of the inquiry findings and rendered concurring opinions that the aircrew was in compliance with applicable rules of engagement specific to the event and the overall law of armed conflict," Linda Card, a spokeswoman for the Office of Special Investigations, said in an emailed statement. 

Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek subsequently stated, “The Airmen involved in the incident returned to flight-duty after seeking help to cope with the event’s residual trauma,” Stefanek added, “The aircrew’s airmanship and quick thinking ensured the safety of the crew and their aircraft.”

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a C-17 pilot involved with the Afghani evacuation mission asserted it was a relief to hear the crew was not punished by OSI.

"That's the right call," the pilot said about OSI's findings. "They've probably been on pins and needles since this happened. There were no good options, but the crew made the exact right call." 

FMI: www.af.mil