U.S. KC-135 tanker crashes in western Iraq; crew status unknown
Mar 12th 2026
A KC-135 Stratotanker involved in operations tied to strikes on Iran crashed in western Iraq on March 12, recovery teams are on scene, and officials say the incident was not caused by hostile or friendly fire.
- A U.S. KC-135 Stratotanker crashed near Turaibil on March 12 near the Iraq-Jordan border.
- Recovery operations are under way and the status of the crew is unknown.
- A second KC-135 was damaged in the same incident but landed safely.
- U.S. Central Command said the crash was not caused by hostile fire or friendly fire.
- FlightRadar24 reported a KC-135 declared an emergency before landing in Tel Aviv earlier that day.
- This is the fourth publicly acknowledged aircraft loss in Operation Epic Fury, after three F-15Es were downed in a separate friendly-fire incident with all six crew members ejecting safely.
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- US Air Force refueling plane crashes over Iraq, at least five crew on board edition.cnn.com
- Four Airmen Confirmed Dead in KC-135 Crash, First Air Force Fatalities in Iran War www.airandspaceforces.com
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- U.S. refueling plane crashes in Iraq during Iran war operations; 4 crew members killed www.nbcnews.com
- U.S. military says all 6 airmen in refueling aircraft that crashed in Iraq are dead www.pbs.org