190th Fighter Squadron , Blues and Royals friendly fire incident The 190th Fighter Squadron , Blues and Royals friendly fire incident was a friendly fire incident involving two United States Air Force ( USAF ) Air National Guard 190th Fighter Squadron attack aircraft , and vehicles from the United Kingdom ' s D Squadron , The Blues and Royals of the Household Cavalry , and took place on 28 March 2003 during the invasion of Iraq by armed forces of the United States and United Kingdom . In the incident , the two USAF A - 10s fired on and destroyed two Blues and Royals armored vehicles , killing one British soldier , and injuring five others . Although not the only fratricide incident during the invasion , the circumstances around the inquest into the death of British Lance - Corporal of Horse Matty Hull – and the subsequent verdict of unlawful killing – led to much media controversy in the UK . This was related to the release of video evidence from the attacking aircraft , and perceived levels of cooperation by government agencies of both the United States and United Kingdom with the British inquest . Operation Telic – 28 March 2003 . The Blues and Royals were serving as an armoured reconnaissance element for 16th Air Assault Brigade . Four vehicles from D Squadron , two FV107 Scimitar s and two FV103 Spartan s , were moving north of the main force , patrolling the Forward Edge of Battle Area . The area of the patrol had been declared as a " no engagement zone " to the allied forces and the vehicles were marked with the agreed coalition Combat Identification markings including orange overhead canvas panels , thermal reflectors and Union Flags . Two A - 10 Thunderbolt II aircraft of the Idaho Air National Guard , 190th Fighter Squadron were completing a two - hour mission ; engaging artillery and rocket launchers of Iraq ' s 6th Armoured Division , dug in north of Basra . The aircraft were guided to their targets by US Marine Corps Forward Air Controllers , embedded with British ground units , and flown by a major and lieutenant colonel on their first operational flight of the invasion . According to media reporting of the subsequent investigation , the flight was commanded by the major . From an altitude of , the aircraft spotted Iraqi vehicles 800 yards north , and the British patrol less than three miles ( 5 km ) west . Following dialogue with the FAC and between the aircrew , the British convoy was engaged by the A - 10s in a gun and rocket attack which left the vehicles disabled . The British soldiers exited the vehicles , taking cover underneath the hulls . The aircraft conducted a second attack , resulting in the death of L / CoH Hull , still within his Scimitar . Trooper Christopher Finney , 18 , driving the lead Scimitar re - entered his burning vehicle calling a Mayday report on his still - functional radio . Trooper Finney then dragged a badly wounded L / Cpl Tudball from the burning vehicle before attempting to recover Hull in the second Scimitar , but being beaten back by exploding munitions and heat . For his actions , Trooper Finney was later awarded the George Cross , the highest award for gallantry " not in the face of the enemy . " As well as the death of Hull a further five troopers were injured . Boards of inquiry . The U . S . Air Force conducted an investigation into the incident in 2003 , but the results of that investigation were not publicly released , and did not result in a court - martial . Subsequent reporting of the U . S . Air Force investigation states that the investigation found fault with both pilots ' actions in the incident , including , " findings of cognitive and physical task overload , ineffective communication and failure to recognise identification panels by the two pilots . " The investigation report recommended administrative or disciplinary action against both pilots . Higher United States Department of Defense officials , however , cleared both pilots of any wrongdoing . A British Army Board of Inquiry ( BoI ) was held in 2004 , the findings of which , among others , stated that the Major authorised the Lt Colonel to attack , but no authorisation was given by controllers on the ground . The report was released to the family of L / CoH Hull and later to the public . It has been alleged that certain classified material available to the BoI , was withheld from the family . Inquest into the death of L / CoH Hull . At the time , the bodies of those service personnel dying overseas were repatriated to the UK via RAF Brize Norton , leading to the responsibility for inquests being under the civilian jurisdiction of the Oxfordshire coroner . An inquest into the death of L / CoH Hull was convened in 2006 , presided over by Assistant Deputy Coroner Andrew Walker . Discussion prior to the inquest . The stated position of the United States government is that US servicemen do not attend non - US courts , written statements normally being provided . British media reported that the UK government had pressured the US government , via the US Embassy in London , to release all evidence related to the incident . A meeting between Constitutional Affairs Minister Harriet Harman and Deputy Head of Mission , David Johnson , was reported on 20 November 2006 where assurances were given that concerns of the UK over the US policy on attendance were to be relayed to Washington . Harman reiterated this position on 1 February 2007 , highlighting the request for evidence and indicating that the US personnel could not be compelled to attend the inquest . Conduct of the inquest . The inquest took oral testimony from the various British personnel associated with the incident , including those in the convoy , and a FAC who expressed the opinion that the aircrew were acting independently . Walker commented on the actions of L / Cpl Finney GC , stating : " “ You are a brave man . You are to be commended for what you did . ” " It was publicly acknowledged during the inquest that a cockpit video of the Head - up display from one of the aircraft existed , which media reports indicated had been shown to the BoI , but not released to Hull ' s family with the findings . The video was shown to the Coroner in private , although permission to use it in public was refused by the Ministry of Defence , citing international agreements related to the release of classified information , and the US classification of the tape as secret . This adherence to international protocols led to significant criticism in the British media , leading to a public statement by Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram which reiterated the requirement for US de - classification of the video and highlighting ongoing engagement to achieve that . Media reporting indicated that the MOD had previously denied the existence of the video . On 2 February 2007 Walker opted to adjourn the inquest until the video could be displayed in open court . Unauthorised leak and subsequent de - classification of video evidence . The video was leaked to " The Sun " tabloid newspaper , and reported on 6 February 2007 , as well as published on the newspaper ' s website . The newspaper indicated that the leak had come from a US military source . The US government subsequently announced that the video would be declassified , but noted that the leak was likely to be a criminal offence . The video released was 19 minutes long , and was accompanied with recordings of cockpit audio and radio communications . British media allege six errors on the part of the aircrew : The audio track includes debate around the identity of the targets and the order , from the FAC , to disengage identifying a likely " blue - on - blue " incident . The audio track also includes notification of one death and several injuries with the order to return to base . Subsequent audio indicates frustration and crying with the comment : " We ' re in jail , dude " . Upon viewing the video , Matty Hull ' s widow , Susan , stated that the pilots were , " more concerned for themselves than their victims " . A statement released by the Oxfordshire coroner ' s office later confirmed that Walker was of the view that , being in the public domain , the video could now be presented as evidence without the approval of the US government , and that the inquest would resume on 12 March 2007 . On 6 February 2007 the " Sun " named POPOV36 as Colonel Gus Kohntopp , a commercial pilot for Southwest Airlines and member of the Idaho Air National Guard . The British inquest was set to resume on 12 March 2007 . As of 9 February 2007 , Kohntopp was reported to be , " in hiding . " Inquest reconvened . The Oxfordshire inquest resumed as scheduled on 12 March with testimony from a British Forward Air Controller ( FAC ) involved in the incident , who stated that the incident wouldn ' t have happened if the two U . S . pilots involved had followed the same procedures that UK pilots must follow in the same type of situation . On 13 March , the same British FAC testified that POPOV36 committed a " catalogue of serious failures " when he shot at the British vehicles in the incident , including " ignoring crucial warning signs , attacking without permission , and failing to wait for an artillery shell marker on a proposed target . " After the inquest revealed that portions of relevant evidence from the U . S . investigation into the incident were blacked out in the copy of the report given to the inquest , Matty Hull ' s widow made a personal appeal to U . S . president George W . Bush for the information to be released to the inquest . Inquest verdict . On 16 March , coroner Andrew Walker returned a narrative verdict , stating that the killing of Hull was " unlawful " . Walker said : " The attack on the convoy amounted to an assault . It was unlawful because there was no lawful reason for it and in that respect it was criminal . " Neither of the two U . S . pilots involved nor any other representative from the U . S . government appeared at the inquest or co - operated in any other way , despite numerous requests from Walker , Harman , and Hull ' s family to do so , and the normal practice of providing written statements .