U.S. Air Force investigating civilian deaths of Afghans who clung to planes at Kabul Airport

The U.S. Air Force said Tuesday it is investigating how Afghan civilians died this week amid chaos at the international airport in Kabul, including reports that people fell from an aircraft in flight.

"The Department of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI) is reviewing all available information regarding a C-17 aircraft that departed Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug. 16 and the loss of civilian lives – to include video documentation and the source of social media posts," said Ann Stefanek, a spokesperson for the military branch.

Investigators also are examining the discovery of human remains inside the wheel well of a C-17 aircraft that landed at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, Stefanek said.

The incidents occurred amid overwhelming chaos at the airport as hundreds of Afghans swarmed the airfield while attempting to flee the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, officials told Just the News.

The most dramatic incident occurred after a C-17 Globemaster III arrived Monday to deliver equipment to support the evacuation of Americans and Afghans.

Before the aircrew could offload the cargo, the aircraft was surrounded by hundreds of Afghan civilians who had breached the airport perimeter," Stefanek said in a statement. "Faced with a rapidly deteriorating security situation around the aircraft, the C-17 crew decided to depart the airfield as quickly as possible."

The command to which the pilot is assigned is trying to decide whether to discipline him or nominate him for a Distinguished Flying Cross, according to a source inside the Defense Department.

"That guy had to make a split second decision on whether to leave and how, and he brought people to safety, and landed the aircraft and crew safely," the source said.

American military pilots do not routinely train for taking off from a crowded runway with people clinging to the aircraft, a military pilot told Just the News. 

"It's not in our training manual," said the pilot, who is not authorized to speak to the press, and who spoke to Just the News on the condition of anonymity. "That's not something we ever did." 

The crew of the C-17, which is believed to have had the callsign Reach-871, had no choice but to proceed down the runway for takeoff, the pilot said.

"You've got all that humanity in the back of your airplane, and the Taliban has taken over the city," the pilot said. "What I would be worried about is, are these all friendlies that are are chasing you on the ground? If one of those guys were able to throw a rifle up into the engine that could create a problem."

The plane possibly could have been forced to abort the takeoff, the pilot said.

"If they get on there and you can't get away from them, how would you like to be captured by the Taliban?"

The people who were flung from the aircraft managed to grab a hand-hold that allowed them to stay with the plane for a while on the runway, the pilot said.

"They were holding on for dear life," he said. "By the time the plane got down to the end of the runway and they pushed the power off, some people probably jumped off. The others held on as long as they could until they got the point where they couldn't. And they were just flung off."

On the C-17 found to have human remains in the wheel well when it landed in Qatar, Stefanik said, "The aircraft is currently impounded to provide time to collect the remains and inspect the aircraft before it is returned to flying status."

The Air Force did not confirm to Just the News whether the pilot of Reach-871 still is flying missions in and out of the Kabul airport.