The U.S. military has released the identities of six service members who perished when their KC-135 Stratotanker crashed in western Iraq on March 12, 2026. While the investigation into the cause remains ongoing, officials from U.S. Central Command have confirmed the incident was not the result of hostile fire. The crew, which included two female aviators and a father of three, was supporting Operation Epic Fury at the time of the tragedy.
Casualties Identified
Six crew members, including two women and an Alabama airman with young children, were killed in the refueling plane crash.
No Hostile Fire
The Pentagon stated that the aircraft was not downed by enemy action during its routine mission in western Iraq.
Operation Epic Fury
The crash brings the total U.S. death toll during this specific regional operation to at least 13 service members.
The United States military identified six service members killed in a KC-135 refueling plane crash in western Iraq, with the Pentagon confirming the aircraft was not brought down by hostile fire. The victims were named on March 14 and 15, 2026, following the crash that occurred around March 12-13. Among the six were two female aviators and a father of three young children from Alabama. The deaths raised the U.S. toll in Operation Epic Fury to at least 13 service members, according to AP News, seven of whom were killed in combat.
Alabama father of three among the dead One of the victims was an airman from Alabama who left behind three children: 7-month-old twins and a 2-year-old son, according to The Independent. The youngest of the six victims was 28 years old, according to Il Messaggero. At least three of the six were connected to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, according to Reuters. The group also included two female aviators, making the crew notable in its composition, as reported by ANSA. The military released the names of all six victims across the two days following the crash.
No hostile fire, investigation ongoing The Pentagon stated the crash was not caused by hostile fire, ruling out enemy action as a factor in the loss of the aircraft and its crew. The KC-135 was on a refueling mission at the time of the crash, operating in support of ongoing U.S. military activities in the region. The crash took place in western Iraq, according to multiple reports from Reuters and the BBC. U.S. Central Command has responsibility for U.S. military operations in the region where the crash occurred. The cause of the crash remained under investigation, with no confirmed mechanical or operational explanation provided in initial statements.
Death toll in Operation Epic Fury climbs to 13 The six deaths from the crash brought the overall U.S. fatality count in Operation Epic Fury to at least 13, according to AP News. Of those 13, seven were killed in combat, meaning the six crew members of the downed KC-135 account for all non-combat deaths recorded under the operation to date. The United States Central Command was established in 1983, taking over responsibilities from the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force. It has overseen U.S. military operations across the Middle East for decades, including successive campaigns in Iraq. Aerial refueling missions using KC-135 aircraft have been a consistent component of U.S. air operations in the region throughout that period. The loss of an entire refueling crew in a single non-combat incident represents a significant toll for the Air Force's tanker community. MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, home to the 6th Air Refueling Wing, serves as one of the primary hubs for KC-135 operations supporting overseas missions. The families of the victims were notified before the military released the names publicly, in keeping with standard U.S. military practice.