Four confirmed dead in KC-135 crash, CENTCOM says [View all]

Source: Stars and Stripes

0March 13, 2026


Four of the six crew members who were aboard an Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker that crashed in western Iraq have been confirmed dead, U.S. Central Command said Friday.

The command said the identities of the service members are being withheld until 24 hours after the next of kin have been notified. Rescue efforts for the remaining crew members continue.

The refueler went down in friendly airspace at approximately 2 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday. The circumstances of the crash are still under investigation but CENTCOM said it was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire. Including the tanker crew, 11 service members have now been killed as part of Operation Epic Fury.

Six Army reservists assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) were killed in a drone attack in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, on the second day of Operation Epic Fury. Another soldier, Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, died Sunday after being wounded during a March 1 attack on the Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia.

Read more: https://www.stripes.com/branches/air_force/2026-03-13/kc-135-deaths-tanker-21049800.html