Four killed as US military refuelling plane crashes in Western Iraq

Four crew members have died after a United States military refuelling plane crashed in western Iraq.

The US Central Command said in a statement on Friday that the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker went down around 2pm Eastern Time on March 12 while carrying out operations in the region.

“Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue,” the statement added.

The military said investigations are ongoing to determine what caused the crash.

“However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” the statement said.

Officials added that the identities of the victims would remain undisclosed until 24 hours after their families had been formally notified.

According to US Air Force officials, investigators suspect the crash may have been caused by a midair collision, though the exact circumstances remain unclear.

The aircraft crashed in a largely remote desert area in western Iraq.

Air-to-air refuelling missions such as those conducted by the KC-135 are routine for US Air Force pilots and accidents are considered rare.

However, the manoeuvre can be technically demanding, particularly in difficult weather conditions or strong winds.

The incident marks the fourth loss of a manned aircraft since the launch of Operation Epic Fury, a US military operation that began in late February.

None of the crashes have been attributed to hostile Iranian fire.

Earlier in March, three F-15E strike eagle jets were downed in a friendly fire incident involving Kuwaiti F/A-18 hornet aircraft.

The last time a US tanker aircraft crashed was in 2013, when a KC-135 conducting refuelling missions over Afghanistan went down shortly after departing Manas airport in Kyrgyzstan.

Three airmen were killed in that accident.

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