A U.S. KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft went down in western Iraq on Thursday, March 12, at approximately 2 pm ET, killing four of the six crew members on board, U.S. Central Command reported.
Rescue operations for the two remaining crew members are ongoing, the military said. Officials gave no further detail about the condition of the two service members still being sought, only noting that search and rescue efforts remain active at the scene.
Central Command said it is investigating the circumstances surrounding the loss of the aircraft. The military has stated explicitly that the crash was not the result of hostile fire or friendly fire. Beyond that confirmation, authorities have not publicly disclosed additional information about what occurred in the moments leading up to the incident.
The identities of the four service members who died in the crash are being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The military said it will release the names 24 hours after relatives have been informed, in keeping with standard casualty notification procedures.
At this stage, the publicly available facts are limited to the timing and location of the crash, the number of crew aboard, the confirmed fatalities, and the status of the investigation and rescue efforts. The military has not released details regarding the aircraft's mission, flight origin or destination, or the specific unit involved.
Officials did not provide a timeline for the investigation or for when additional information might be made public. Given the current restrictions on released details, further updates will depend on the completion of search and rescue actions and investigative work by military authorities.
What we know:
- The aircraft was a U.S. KC-135 refueling tanker and crashed in western Iraq.
- The incident occurred at about 2 pm ET on March 12.
- Four of the six crew members on board were killed; two remain the subject of ongoing rescue efforts.
- U.S. military authorities say the loss was not caused by hostile fire or friendly fire.
- Identities of the deceased will be released 24 hours after next of kin have been notified.