Pentagon Identifies 6 Airmen Killed in Refueling Plane Crash in Iraq
The Pentagon has identified the six Airmen who were killed after their KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft crashed over western Iraq on March 12.
The flight crew consisted of Maj. John A. Klinner, 33; Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31; Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38; Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30; Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28.
Klinner, Savino, and Pruitt were assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing, based out of MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.
Koval, Angst, and Simmons were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing, an Ohio Air National Guard unit. Their unit was based out of Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio.
“To lose a member of the Air Force family is excruciatingly painful, especially to those who know them as son, daughter, brother, sister, spouse, mom, or dad. To lose them at the same time is unimaginable,” Col. Ed Szczepanik, the commander of the 6th Air Refueling Wing, said on Saturday.
“Our hearts and minds are with the family, friends and loved ones of our fallen Airmen.”
There were no survivors among the flight crew that crashed over western Iraq.
Their KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft went down during an incident involving a second KC-135. The second aircraft was able to land safely in Israel.
Though the incident occurred amid ongoing U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, U.S. military officials have said the crash was not the result of either hostile or friendly fire.
The Iranian-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for the downing of the KC-135, but has provided no evidence to support the claim.
This crash incident remains under investigation.
U.S. forces amassed numerous aerial refueling aircraft in the Middle East ahead of the attacks in Iran. While not directly involved in hostilities, these refueling aircraft enable strike aircraft to extend their operational range.
Between Feb. 28 and March 12, the U.S. military reported it had carried out around 6,000 strikes on Iranian targets.
As of March 13, Israeli forces had reported around 7,600 strikes on Iranian targets.
The KC-135 is at least the fourth manned U.S. aircraft lost amid the ongoing hostilities with Iran.
By Ryan Morgan
