All 6 U.S. crew members killed after refueling plane crashes in Iraq [View all]

Source: NBC News

March 13, 2026, 5:47 AM EDT / Updated March 13, 2026, 10:27 AM EDT


All six U.S. crew members have been confirmed dead after their military refueling plane crashed in Iraq while taking part in Iran war operations, the U.S. military said Friday.

U.S. Central Command said in a post on X early Friday that the KC-135 plane went down at approximately 2 p.m. ET Thursday in western Iraq, with four crew members initially confirmed dead. The statement said that "rescue efforts continue."

In a subsequent post, CENTCOM confirmed that all six crew members "are now confirmed deceased."

"The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire," CENTCOM said. It said earlier that two aircraft were involved in the incident and that one landed safely.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/us-refueling-plane-crashes-iraq-iran-war-crew-members-killed-rcna263315