Charles Sweeney, 84, a retired Air Force general who piloted the plane that dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki in the final days of World War II, has died.

About 70,000 people were killed in the explosion of the bomb, dubbed "Fat Man." It was the first bomb Mr. Sweeney ever dropped on an enemy target.

He was an outspoken defender of the bombings, appearing on CNN and speaking at colleges and universities.

Mr. Sweeney also wrote a book, "War's End: An Eyewitness Account of America's Last Atomic Mission," to counter what he considered "cockamamie theories" that the bombings were unnecessary.