Aviation SafetyIranTroubled Areas

KC-135 Goes Down in Western Iraq After Mid-Air Incident During Operation Epic Fury

Published on: March 12, 2026 at 11:06 PM
David Cenciotti David Cenciotti
Kai Greet Kai Greet
Stefano D'Urso Stefano D'Urso
KC-135
KC-135 Stratotanker (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. James L. Harper Jr.)

The KC-135 was reportedly lost after an incident involving another aircraft in friendly airspace; the second aircraft landed safely.

A KC-135 was lost during Operation Epic Fury, U.S. Central Command announced on Mar. 12, 2026.

Here’s the statement released by CENTCOM: 

U.S. Central Command is aware of the loss of a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft. The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing. Two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely.

This was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.

More information will be made available as the situation develops. We ask for continued patience to gather additional details and provide clarity for the families of service members.

Many KC-135s are currently supporting Operation Epic Fury and some of them have been observed using the emergency transponder code while operating in Israeli airspace. For the moment it’s not clear whether any of the aircraft tracked online squawking 7700 off the Israeli coast were involved in the incident.

This is the first loss of a Stratotanker in almost 13 years. In fact, on May 3, 2013, a KC-135 Stratotanker (KC-135R 63-8877) belonging to the 22 ARW (Air Refueling Wing) from McConnell Air Force Base crashed in Kyrgyzstan, near Chaldovar, a village located about 100 miles west of Manas, the departure airport.

According to CBS, the other aircraft involved in the midair incident was another KC-135.

Although the official sources ruled out the aircraft was lost because of friendly or enemy fire, several accounts on social media are spreading the news that the KC-135 was “shot down”. 

Update 01:00 UTC

There is still no word from the U.S. regarding the status of the six crew members on board the incident aircraft. An image has emerged on social media of the second aircraft involved in the incident, which showed on flight tracking websites as 63-8017, on the ground at Ben Gurion Airport with damage to the vertical stabiliser. 

This damage reinforces widespread speculation of a midair collision. 

Contrary to some reporting, the aircraft involved do not appear to be the rare receiver-capable KC-135RT airframes. Some talk on this matter arose based on the listing of 63-8017 as a “KC-135R/T” in various databases. Rather than meaning the aircraft is a KC-135RT, this actually is intended to mean the aircraft is either a KC-135R or KC-135T – images of 63-8017 available online show that it lacks the refueling receptacle above the cockpit. 

The exact identity of the incident aircraft is still unclear, but the airframes known to have been active at the time point to it also having been a KC-135R or KC-135T and not a KC-135RT.

Update 09:00 UTC

New photos now provide a closer look at the damage sustained by the KC-135 63-8017, which is missing about 40% of the vertical stabilizer. Considering that the entire structure is 25 ft long (7.6 m), the part missing is around 10 ft long (3 m).

Officials have not yet provided new updates about the ongoing Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) effort. A video emerged online, credited to an unspecified Iraqi outlet, appears to show what could be HC-130J Combat King II aircraft flying at low altitude over Western Iraq, possibly as part of the rescue mission.

Update 09:31 UTC

CENTCOM has now provided an update about the ongoing CSAR operation. A brief statement posted on social media says that “four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue.”

The command stressed once again that the “loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” adding that the circumstances of the incident are under investigation.

The statement also included a first indication about when the crash happened, at approximately 2 pm ET, which is 6 pm UTC. This would put it within an hour of the appearance on flight tracking websites of the KC-135R 63-8017, which was squawking 7700 as it entered Israeli airspace at around 5:15 pm UTC.

Update 14:17 UTC

CENTCOM provided another update about the ongoing CSAR operation, confirming that all six crew members were killed in the crash.

This is a developing story, we will update it, as soon as new details emerge.

TAGGED:
Share This Article
By David Cenciotti
Follow:
David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.
By Kai Greet
Follow:
Kai is an aviation enthusiast and freelance photographer and writer based in Cornwall, UK. They are a graduate of BA (Hons) Press & Editorial Photography at Falmouth University. Their photographic work has been featured by a number of nationally and internationally recognised organisations and news publications, and in 2022 they self-published a book focused on the history of Cornwall. They are passionate about all aspects of aviation, alongside military operations/history, international relations, politics, intelligence and space.
By Stefano D'Urso
Follow:
Stefano D'Urso is the Deputy Editor at The Aviationist, based in Lecce, Italy. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering. His areas of expertise include emerging aerospace and defense technologies, electronic warfare, unmanned and autonomous systems, loitering munitions, and the application of OSINT techniques to the analysis of military operations and contemporary conflicts.
Previous Article USS Ford Fire Breaks Out Aboard USS Gerald R. Ford Aircraft Carrier in the Red Sea
Next Article Prince Sultan Air Base Five U.S. Air Force Tankers Damaged in Iranian Attack on Saudi Air Base
Leave a comment

Stay Connected

Latest News

Work With Us