The Pentagon has released the names of the six US service members who died when a KC-135 Stratotanker crashed in western Iraq on Thursday. The incident occurred after an unspecified event involving two aircraft in friendly airspace, with the second tanker landing safely in Israel.
The deceased crew members were Major John 'Alex' Klinner, 33; Captain Ariana Savino, 31; Technical Sergeant Ashley Pruitt, 34; Captain Seth Koval, 38; Captain Curtis Angst, 30; and Technical Sergeant Tyler Simmons, 28. Klinner's family said he had been promoted to major and deployed less than a week before the crash, leaving behind three small children. Simmons' family described him as having a smile that could light up any room.
US Central Command said the crash was not caused by hostile or friendly fire. The crash brings the US death toll in Operation Epic Fury to at least 13, with seven others killed in combat. About 140 US service members have been injured, eight severely.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described the lost crew as heroes, saying 'war is hell. War is chaos.' The KC-135, a military version of the Boeing 707, has been in service for over 60 years and is used for mid-air refuelling, medical evacuations and surveillance. Questions have been raised about why crew members were not issued parachutes, after a 2008 air force news release said parachutes were being removed from KC-135s as it was statistically safer to stay with the aircraft.
