US pilots took drugs prior to Canadian deaths, court told

TWO American pilots had taken amphetamines to help them stay awake before they dropped a bomb in Afghanistan that accidentally killed four Canadians, one pilot’s lawyer said yesterday.

The pilots also were given anti-depressants when they returned from their mission, said David Beck, lawyer for Major William Umbach.

Beck spoke at a military hearing in Louisiana to decide whether the pilots should be court-martialed for dropping the guided bomb near Kandahar last April.