Key takeaways:
- Four U.S. military personnel died in the crash of a KC-135 refueling aircraft near the Iraqi-Jordanian border; two crew members remain missing as rescue efforts continue.
- The crash was not caused by hostile or friendly fire, and a second KC-135 involved in the operation was damaged but landed safely; the incident is under investigation.
- This is the fourth U.S. aircraft crash linked to Operation Epic Fury, with ongoing Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel (TRAP) missions to secure crash sites amid continued conflict involving Iran.
Four U.S. military personnel have been confirmed dead following the crash of a KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft in western Iraq on Thursday, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced early Friday. The aircraft went down at approximately 2 p.m. Eastern Time near Turaibil, close to the Iraqi-Jordanian border, during operations related to ongoing conflicts involving Iran. Two other crew members remain unaccounted for as rescue efforts continue.
CENTCOM clarified that the crash was not caused by hostile or friendly fire, and the circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation. The statement also noted that a second KC-135 aircraft involved in the same operation was damaged but managed to land safely. According to flight tracking data, this second tanker declared an emergency before landing in Tel Aviv on Thursday evening. The identities of the deceased crew members are being withheld until 24 hours after their families have been notified, in accordance with military protocol.
This incident marks the fourth publicly acknowledged U.S. aircraft crash connected to Operation Epic Fury, a military campaign targeting Iranian forces. Since the conflict between the U.S. and Israel against Iran began on February 28, a total of 11 U.S. service members have been killed. This includes six personnel who died in an Iranian strike on Kuwait and one who was killed in Saudi Arabia. Earlier in the week, three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles were downed in a friendly-fire incident involving Kuwait, though all six crew members ejected safely.
Recovery operations following the crash are ongoing and are part of what the military terms Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel (TRAP) missions. These missions are designed to rapidly secure crash sites to retrieve injured or deceased crew members and to recover or destroy sensitive equipment before it can be compromised. Such operations are often hazardous due to the potential presence of enemy forces in the area. CENTCOM has emphasized that the investigation into the crash will continue as rescue and recovery efforts proceed.
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