Posted on 03/14/2026 10:04:36 AM PDT by Eleutheria5
All six crew members aboard a US KC-135 refueling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq on Thursday have been confirmed dead, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced today.
In a post on social media, CENTCOM stated, “All six crew members aboard a US KC-135 refueling aircraft that went down in western Iraq are now confirmed deceased."
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(Excerpt) Read more at israelnationalnews.com ...
Prayers for the families.
War or no war... Refueling an aircraft in midair is always a dangerous job. They make it look easy when you watch the videos of this amazing feat of flying... But every now and then things go wrong.
Prayers for the families of the fallen and for the families of those still fighting. Eliminating this terrorist supporting and Jew hating regime of Iran is worth it and the world is now a better place because of Iran’s demise.
Yes, praying for our military and their families.
Yeah and it’s even more dangerous when they remove the parachute option cuz “it’s low risk due to safety record”, which occurred in 2008 for the -135.
Doesn’t mention which USAF, ANG squadron or base. RIP
That and carrier landings are the hardest aerial feats that there are. But the USAF and Navy do that routinely. Israeli pilots are hell on wheels in a dog fight, I’m sure. But they can’t hold a candle to a carrier landing.
Grok amplifies a bit...
The U.S. Air Force removed parachutes from the KC-135 fleet in 2008. This decision was based on the aircraft's strong safety record, the extremely low likelihood of needing to bail out (as mishaps are rare and successful in-flight bailouts from the type were considered improbable), and the significant costs/time/manpower involved in maintaining, inspecting, and training with parachutes.Seems like a lousy decision and weak argument to me.Prior to 2008, KC-135s did carry parachutes, and the aircraft had provisions like an escape hatch and a spoiler/air dam system to aid bailout by helping crew members clear the fuselage slipstream. However, since the change, crews are trained to stay with the aircraft and attempt a controlled emergency landing (on land or water) rather than bail out mid-flight.
Service in the military has an extraordinary number of job descriptions that are highly hazardous, and a large number of deaths have little to do with direct engagement with an enemy confrontation. Men and women work with massive machinery that has great potential for destruction, and it only takes a few moments of inattention or distraction for disaster to strike.
There are a million ways to die while serving in military duty, some of which are entirely novel, and from sometimes unexpected sources.
Agree!
Even a bad chance of a successful bailout is better then no chance. Cutting that back in 2008 probably freed up money for improved DEI training.
“Seems like a lousy decision and weak argument to me”
That was my conclusion.
Wonder how they felt going down knowing that they were the unfortunate victims of being in the “improbable” wreck category.
They were no doubt thinking “At least we did our part for cost savings.”
Infuriating!! I hope Hegseth revisits this.
Those poor families and loved ones.
Maddening...I also believe there's more to this 'crash' than meets the eye.
I haven’t heard where the KC-135 is from and if they are regular, or guard. I know the Sioux City, Iowa Air Guard is a KC-135 air refueling wing.
The prayers are needed greatly.
I heard the plane was from California and some of the crew were from Ohio.
Just gossip so far though.
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