U.S. KC-135 Refueling Plane Crashes in Iraq, Killing Six Service Members

U.S. Central Command and multiple news outlets confirmed that a KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft supporting operations against Iran crashed in western Iraq and that all six crew members aboard have been confirmed dead.

“3 Ohio Air National Guard members killed in KC-135 crash COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Three of the six National Guard Airmen who died in a refueling aircraft crash in Iraq were members of the Ohio Air National Guard”

ABC 6

AP reported that "All six crew members on board the crashed KC-135 have been confirmed dead," while PBS stated, "All six crew members of a KC-135 refueling aircraft supporting operations against Iran are dead, the U.S. military said Friday, after their plane crashed in western Iraq."

ABC 6

The New York Times likewise noted, "All six crew members died, it said, bringing the number of U.S. service members killed in the Iran war to at least 13," and NPR summarized the development under the headline, "All 6 U.S. crew are dead after a plane goes down in Iraq, as Mideast war toll mounts."

U.S. Central Command said the crash "followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in 'friendly airspace,'" and that the other plane involved landed safely; Centcom and officials emphasized the loss was "not due to hostile or friendly fire," though early reports contained inconsistent casualty figures.

AP quoted Centcom saying the crash "followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in 'friendly airspace,' and that the other plane landed safely," and also recorded the Centcom wording that the loss of the aircraft was "not due to hostile or friendly fire."

Aerospace Global News

Task & Purpose noted the mission context, reporting that "the aircraft was lost while flying over friendly airspace March 12 during Operation Epic Fury," while some outlets initially reported fewer fatalities—KNOE said at one point that "four of the six crewmembers on board the crashed KC-135 have been confirmed dead and that rescue efforts are continuing."

Details about the cause remain unclear and contested: U.S. investigators have said a midair collision is a leading hypothesis, open-source analysts circulated images of damage consistent with a collision, and an Iran-aligned armed group claimed it shot the tanker down — creating a direct contradiction with Centcom’s public statements.

“The circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation, but the U”

Air & Space Forces Magazine

The New York Times reported that "Investigators suspect a midair collision may have caused the crash, but details are still murky," Aerospace Global News said "Images circulating online of the aircraft that landed safely show significant damage to its vertical stabiliser," and the New York Post wrote that "The Islamic Resistance in Iraq... initially claimed responsibility for taking down the aircraft Thursday evening."

USA TODAY also noted that "An armed group allied to Iran previously claimed responsibility for the incident." Together these accounts show the official CENTCOM line that the loss was not due to hostile fire sits alongside independent evidence and claims that raise alternate possibilities.

Reporting across outlets emphasized the KC-135’s age, role and accident history: the Stratotanker is a long-serving aerial refueling platform that "has been in service for more than 60 years," is used to "refuel other planes in midair," and has been involved in prior fatal crashes.

AP described the aircraft’s mission: "The KC-135 Stratotanker is a U.S. Air Force aircraft used to refuel other planes in midair, allowing them to travel longer distances and maintain operations longer without landing."

al

Wane noted that "The KC-135 has been in service for more than 60 years" and WRAL said KC-135s are "among the most heavily used aircraft in the Air Force’s arsenal, and among its oldest airframes, at more than 60 years."

Outlets also recalled past accidents; the New York Post described a 2013 crash where "the tail section broke away and the plane exploded midair, killing all three onboard," underscoring concerns about older airframes.

The crash added to a growing U.S. casualty toll from Operation Epic Fury and produced immediate human impacts and local responses: multiple outlets said the incident "brings the U.S. death toll in Operation Epic Fury to at least 13 service members," and local reporting highlighted service members from state National Guard units.

“Air Force investigation”

AP News

AP reported that "The crash brings the U.S. death toll in Operation Epic Fury to at least 13 service members, seven of whom were killed in combat," ABC 6 covered that "3 Ohio Air National Guard members [were] killed in KC-135 crash," and USA TODAY published named service members, listing "Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa."

AP News

Those accounts underscore both the broader operational cost and the personal losses felt by families and communities.