Pilot charged with manslaughter under orders to hold fire

A US pilot charged with involuntary manslaughter in the accidental bombing deaths of four Canadians in Afghanistan was under orders to hold fire when he dropped the bomb, a fellow airman testified yesterday.

Major John Milton testified in a hearing to determine whether two members of his Illinois National Guard squadron should be court-martialed for the friendly fire incident last spring.

Majors Harry Schmidt and William Umbach face up to 64 years in a military prison if convicted.

On a videotape of the bombing played by Air Force lawyers, a flight controller is heard saying “hold fire” after Maj Schmidt requests permission to fire his 20 millimetre cannons.

Maj Schmidt had spotted fire on the ground and thought Maj Umbach was under attack.

Maj Milton testified that the order meant Maj Schmidt must refrain from attacking.

Four seconds after the order, Maj Schmidt dropped the guided bomb, killing the four Canadians, who had been performing anti-tank exercises with live ammunition. Eight other soldiers on the ground were wounded.

Five of the survivors have testified at the hearing that they were not firing into the air at the time.

Defence attorneys have said that the pilots thought they were under fire from the Taliban or al-Qaida.

On Thursday, an Air Force commander testified that Maj Schmidt and Maj Umbach had received standing orders warning that allied troops would intermittently use live ammunition.

The defence has also contended Air Force-issued amphetamines taken by the pilots to prevent fatigue may have impaired the pilots' judgment. The Air Force says use of the pills is voluntary.

At a news conference Thursday, Colonel Peter Demitry, an Air Force flight physician who works in the surgeon general’s office, defended the use of the amphetamine Dexedrine.

Col Demitry said he prescribes the drug in doses small enough to only give a “mild stimulant effect.” “Fatigue kills pilots, and this is the gold standard in the counter-fatigue strategies around the world,” he said.

Col Demitry insisted the pills do not affect judgment. A pilot who refused them would not be reprimanded, he added.

Maj Schmidt is a combat-decorated pilot. Maj Umbach is a United Airlines pilot who had served in the Air Force.

They are also charged with aggravated assault and dereliction of duty.