Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker Crashes in Western Iraq, Killing Four U.S. Crew Members During Operation Epic Fury

A Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, an aerial refueling aircraft supporting U.S. military operations against Iran, crashed in western Iraq on Thursday, killing at least four of the six crew members aboard, according to U.S. Central Command. Recovery efforts for the two remaining crew members were still ongoing at the time of the announcement.

The aircraft went down near Turaibil, a location along the Iraqi-Jordanian border, according to an Iraqi intelligence source. A second KC-135 Stratotanker involved in the same incident sustained damage but managed to land safely. Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 indicated that a KC-135 declared an in-flight emergency before touching down in Tel Aviv Thursday evening. U.S. Central Command confirmed that neither hostile fire nor friendly fire was responsible for the incident.

The crash marks the fourth aircraft lost in connection with Operation Epic Fury and brings the total number of U.S. service members killed since the onset of hostilities with Iran to 11. Just last Monday, three F-15E Strike Eagles were downed in a friendly-fire incident involving Kuwait, though all six aircrew members ejected safely. Following the crash, U.S. forces launched Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel missions — known as TRAP missions — to rapidly secure the crash site, recover crew members, and retrieve or neutralize sensitive equipment before it could fall into enemy hands.