The Pentagon has identified the six Air Force members who died in a refueling plane crash while supporting the U.S-Israeli war against Iran.
The Defense Department has identified the six Air Force members who were killed when their refueling plane crashed while supporting military operations against Iran. The KC-135 aircraft crashed Thursday in western Iraq during an incident involving two aircraft in "friendly airspace.
" The other plane landed safely.The airmen killed were Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Ala.; Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Wash.; Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Ky.; Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Ind.; Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio. Klinner, Savino and Pruitt were assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Base in Florida. Koval, Angst and Simmons were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio. RELATED: US military investigating deadly Iran girls school bombingThe crash brings the U.S. death toll in Operation Epic Fury to at least 13 service members, with the seven others killed in combat. About 140 U.S. service members have been injured, including eight severely, the Pentagon said earlier this week.The KC-135 Stratotanker is a U.S. Air Force aircraft used to refuel other planes in midair, allowing them to travel longer distances and maintain operations longer without landing. RELATED: US offers up to $10M reward for information on Iran's supreme leader, senior officialsThe plane is also used to transport wounded personnel during medical evacuations or conduct surveillance missions.The other plane involved was also a KC-135. It landed safely in Israel, sources told The Associated Press. The circumstances of the crash are still unclear and remain under investigation, but U.S. Central Command did say that the loss of the aircraft was "not due to hostile or friendly fire."The KC-135 has been in service for more than 60 years and has been involved in several fatal accidents, most recently in 2013. The aircraft don’t always carry parachutes, adding to concerns about their reliability.
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