On 17 April 2002, as the Afghanistan conflict was escalating, a friendly-fire incident swept the headlines. An American F-16 flown by an Air National Guard pilot mistook Canadians training in a live fire drill for Taliban insurgents and dropped a 500-pound laser guided bomb (LGB) directly on target. The result was 4 dead and 8 wounded Canadians.
SUMMARY OF EVENTS
Maj William Umbach flew as flight lead with wingman Maj Harry Schmidt over Kandahar, Afghanistan when they noticed small arms fire from the ground. They were flying at 23,000 feet with NVGs and unaware of the Canadian exercise. Less than two minutes after requesting permission to attack, Maj Schmidt dropped his bomb.
General Bruce Carlson's reprimand stated: "You acted shamefully on 17 April 2002 over Tarnak Farms, Afghanistan, exhibiting arrogance and a lack of flight discipline."
FIGHTER PILOT BRAVADO?
Brig. Gen. Stephen T. Sergeant testified that there was "a breakdown in basic airmanship throughout this portion of the flight that night."
MIND-ALTERING STIMULANTS?
The defense argued that if the pilots had acted with poor judgement, it was due to stimulant amphetamines (Go-Pills). However, studies have shown that low doses of amphetamines improve mental performance in fatigued people.
See also: Stimulants & Sleep Aids in Military Aviation
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