The US military has confirmed the identities of six airmen killed when a KC-135 refuelling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday.
The victims were: John Klinner, 33, from Alabama; Ariana Savino, 31, from Washington; Ashley Pruitt, 34, from Kentucky; Seth Koval, 38, from Indiana; Curtis Angst, 30, from Ohio; and Tyler Simmons, 28, also from Ohio. The first three served in the Air Force, while the latter three were part of the National Guard.
The Pentagon confirmed that neither hostile action nor friendly fire caused the crash. The KC-135 was on a combat mission as part of ongoing US operations targeting Iran. A second aircraft involved in the mission landed safely.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the crew as “American heroes,” honoring their service. Officials suggested the crash may have resulted from a midair collision, though investigations are ongoing. Centcom reported that the incident occurred over friendly airspace, near Turaibil, close to the Iraq-Jordan border.
Pro-Iranian militias operate in western Iraq, and Iranian state media claimed that an allied group had targeted the aircraft with a missile.
Thursday’s crash raises the official US military death toll in the US-Israel war with Iran to 13, which began two weeks ago. Other casualties include six soldiers in Kuwait and one in Saudi Arabia. At least four US aircraft have been lost in the conflict so far. In early March, three F-15 fighter jets were downed in a separate “friendly fire” incident over Kuwait; all six crew members ejected safely.
The KC-135 Stratotanker, built by Boeing in the 1950s and early 1960s, remains a key component of US air refuelling operations. It enables combat aircraft to extend missions without returning to base, providing a crucial logistical advantage for ongoing operations in the region.
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