Air Force: Crew not at fault for Afghan deaths in evacuation

By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Air Force has concluded that air crew members acted appropriately and were not at fault for some tragic deaths during the chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan last year, when desperate Afghans clung to a military plane as it was taking off and fell to their deaths or were caught in the wheels. In a statement Monday, Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek says investigations into the deaths found that the crew “exercised sound judgment in their decision to get airborne as quickly as possible when faced with an unprecedented and rapidly deteriorating security situation.”