U.S. military refueling plane crashes in western Iraq
A KC-135 tanker went down Thursday during operations against Iran. A second aircraft landed safely; rescue efforts are ongoing.
7:52 PM
A U.S. military KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday while supporting operations against Iran, according to U.S. Central Command.
The crash occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury. A second aircraft involved in the incident landed safely. U.S. Central Command said rescue efforts are underway, though the status of the crew remains unknown.
According to CBS News, citing flight tracking data, the aircraft went down near Turaibil, along the Iraqi-Jordanian border. A second KC-135 Stratotanker was damaged but landed safely. One KC-135 tanker declared an emergency before landing in Tel Aviv Thursday evening, according to flight tracking service FlightRadar24.
U.S. Central Command stated the incident was not caused by hostile fire or friendly fire. The Pentagon emphasized the crash occurred in allied airspace. However, the exact number of crew members aboard the downed aircraft was not disclosed by officials.
CBS News reported that six occupants were aboard the aircraft. The KC-135 model does not have an ejection system, which raises the possibility of fatalities, though no casualty figures have been confirmed.
This marks the fourth U.S. aircraft to crash as part of Operation Epic Fury since the United States and Israel began carrying out strikes against Iran on February 28. Earlier this month, three U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets were mistakenly shot down in a friendly fire incident by Kuwaiti air defenses; all crew members in those jets ejected safely.