US KC-135 Aerial Refuelling Tanker Crashes in Western Iraq During Operation Epic Fury, All Six Crew Members Killed in Mid-Air Collision
Six United States Air Force crew members were killed in March 2026 when their KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refuelling aircraft went down in western Iraq after colliding with another aircraft during Operation Epic Fury, the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran. The incident occurred in friendly airspace and was not attributed to hostile fire. The loss raised the US military death toll in the conflict to 13. Central Command confirmed all six fatalities and announced an investigation into the accident, one of the most significant non-combat aviation losses in recent US military history.