Washington — A military air controller on the ground gave a U.S. Navy pilot clearance to drop bombs that killed six people Monday at a Kuwaiti training range, then quickly tried to abort the order, Pentagon officials said Wednesday.
The officials said the American "forward air controller" apparently realized that the pilot's three 500-pound bombs would miss their target. But his call to abort came too late, and the bombs sprayed shrapnel across the desert observation post where military observers were gathered, officials said.
"Tragically, they hit near the service members that were at an observation post on the range," Navy Rear Adm. Craig Quigley, a Pentagon spokesman, said at a news conference.
The disclosure prompted speculation from some defense officials that the controller may have made a mistake that caused the accident Monday. But other Pentagon officials insisted that the cause of the accident remains murky as an investigative panel will head to the scene today in Kuwait.
The accident at the Udairi bombing range in northwest Kuwait killed five American serviceman and a New Zealander. Five other Americans and two Kuwaitis were injured.
The Pentagon said the five dead Americans were: Air Force Staff Sgt. Jason M. Faley of Pennsylvania; Army Staff Sgt. Troy J. Westberg of Wisconsin; Army Staff Sgt. Richard N. Boudreau of Florida; Army Sgt. Phillip M. Freligh of Nevada, and Army Spc. Jason D. Wildfong of West Virginia. Their hometowns were not provided.
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