Ground controller OK'd bomb run in Kuwait accident

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A ground controller cleared a Navy pilot to drop his bombs, then tried to call off the practice strike that left six dead in Kuwait, officials said Tuesday.

Monday's accident at a training ground in Kuwait killed four U.S. Army personnel, a U.S. Air Force sergeant and a military observer from New Zealand.

Those killed were watching the live-fire exercise from an observation post when the pilot of an F/A-18 Hornet from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman released three bombs that struck near their position. Another seven people, including two Kuwaitis, were injured.

VIDEO Army Sgt. Phillip M. Freligh was killed in the accident.. Correspondent Tommy Stafford talks with his family Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   AUDIO Kuwaiti Military Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Ali al-Muamen: "We are extremely sorry for this tragic incident" 494K/45 sec. AIFF or WAV sound   TRANSCRIPT Transcript of Pentagon briefing   ALSO New Zealand demands explanation for bomb death F-18 is nation's first strike-fighter   INTERACTIVE Technical details of the F/A-18C Hornet   RESOURCES Fatal military accidents over the last year Bio of Cmdr. David O. Zimmerman   MESSAGE BOARD Accident in Kuwait

The military Tuesday released the names of the U.S. servicemen killed by the bombs, identifying them as:

• Air Force Staff Sgt. Jason M. Faley, a tactical air controller assigned to the Army base at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

• Army Staff Sgt. Troy J. Westberg of Wisconsin, assigned to the Third Special forces Group, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

• Army Staff Sgt. Richard N. Boudreau of Florida, assigned to the 707th Ordnance Company at Fort Lewis, Washington.

• Army Sgt. Phillip M. Freligh of Nevada, assigned to the 707th Ordnance Company at Fort Lewis, Washington.

• Army Spec. Jason D. Wildfong of West Virginia, assigned to the 707th Ordnance Company at Fort Lewis, Washington.

Also killed was New Zealand Army Maj. John McNutt.

Pentagon officials told CNN it is still not certain why the pilot, Cmdr. David Zimmerman, thought the observation post was the intended target. Rear Adm. Craig Quigley, a Pentagon spokesman, said he did not know what the actual target of the bomb run was.

Troops were practicing close air support missions, in which fliers strike targets on the ground to aid ground forces.

Sources told CNN that the air controller told Zimmerman he was "cleared hot" as he descended for the strike, indicating that he was free to drop the unguided, 500-pound bombs. But after the bombs were released, the ground controller radioed "Abort, abort," according to an informed defense official.

Gen. Tommy Franks, commander of U.S. forces in the region, is appointing officers to investigate the incident. Preliminary results are expected in three weeks.

Quigley said it was not clear Tuesday whether the ground controller who signaled Zimmerman to drop his bombs was among those killed.

One of the seven people injured, a U.S. service member, was flown to a military hospital in Germany, but two remained in hospitals in Kuwait on Tuesday, Quigley said.

Zimmerman is the commander of the Navy's attack squadron VFA-37, based at Oceana Naval Air Station, Virginia. Quigley said he did not know whether Zimmerman was still on flight duty but said: "No one from the air wing flew today."

A decorated pilot who took part in the December 1998 bombing of Baghdad and enforcement missions over Iraq's "no-fly" zones, Zimmerman also performed practice bombing runs on the same range just last week, according to one Navy official.

Zimmerman was directed in the early stages of his approach by a Navy forward air controller in another aircraft. But in the final stage, a ground-based controller guided Zimmerman's aircraft into the immediate target area.

The accident occurred about 7:30 p.m. (11:30 a.m EST), shortly after nightfall. Quigley said night vision goggles were used in the exercise.

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U.S. Navy
Navy Factfile: F/A-18 Hornet
USS Harry S. Truman
U.S. Air Force
New Zealand Ministry of Defence
The Pentagon

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