US KC-135 Refueling Aircraft Crashes in Iraq: At Least Four Dead

On the night of March 13, a US Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker military refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq.

This was reported by the US Central Command (CENTCOM).

According to their data, the deaths of four of the six crew members have been confirmed so far. Rescue operations are ongoing.

US command noted that the incident occurred in ‘friendly airspace’ during Operation Epic Fury.

It is noted that two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of them crashed, while the other landed safely at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel.

Subsequently, photos were posted on social media showing that a significant portion of the vertical stabilizer is missing from one of the KC-135s that landed in Israel.

Such damage to the tail section indicates a mid-air collision between the American tanker aircraft. This most likely caused the crash of one of them.