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6 troops tragically killed in US military flight crash identified and pictured
The six US service members who died when an Air Force refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq have now been identified.
The fatal crash occurred on Thursday (March 12) when a US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker collided with another tanker while flying in what officials described as "friendly airspace." The second aircraft was able to land safely.
The fatal incident is under investigation and comes during Operation Epic Fury, a major US military campaign in the Middle East that has sparked retaliatory attacks from Iran and rising tensions across the region.
Beloved Father Remembered By Family
Major Alex Klinner, a 33-year-old pilot from Birmingham, Alabama, was among those killed. The seven-year US Air Force pilot had deployed only a week before the crash.
He leaves behind his wife, Libby, and their three young children, including seven-month-old twins and a two-year-old son.
"It’s kind of heartbreaking to say: He was just a really good dad and really loved his family a lot — like a lot," his brother-in-law, James Harrill, said.
Libby expressed her heartbreak in a social media post, reflecting on the moments their children will never experience with their father.
"They won’t get to see firsthand the way he would jump up to help in any way he could," she wrote. "They won’t see how goofy and funny he was. They won’t witness his selflessness, the way he thought about everyone else before himself. They won’t get to feel the deep love he had for them."
A GoFundMe set up for the family has raised more than $980,191.
Harrill said the Auburn University graduate loved hiking and the outdoors and was known for stepping up whenever others needed help.
"Alex was one of those guys that had this steady command about him," they said, noting that Klinner had recently been promoted to major in January. "He was literally one of the most kindest, giving people."
Other Airmen Killed In The Crash
The Pentagon confirmed that five additional service members died in the crash.
Per CNN, they were identified as Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington; Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky; Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Indiana; Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio.
Simmons served as a boom operator aboard the aircraft and was assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Ohio with Koval and Angst before deploying to the Middle East.
Officials said Klinner, Savino, and Pruitt were assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida.
US Central Command stressed that the crash was not caused by hostile action.
"The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing," CENTCOM said in a statement. "This was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire."
The Pentagon said the crash remains under investigation.
Rising Tensions And Attacks
The deadly incident happened as tensions escalated across the Middle East following US military strikes on Iran.
On Friday night, a missile struck the US Embassy compound in Baghdad’s heavily guarded Green Zone.
The attack came hours after President Donald Trump announced a major US bombing raid on Iran’s Kharg Island, a key oil export hub in the Persian Gulf.
"Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island," he wrote on Truth Social.
The president said oil infrastructure on the island was intentionally spared. "Our Weapons are the most powerful and sophisticated that the World has ever known but, for reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island," the president added.
"However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision," he concluded.
So far, 13 American service members have been killed since combat operations in the Middle East began on February 28, including six who died following a March 1 Iranian attack on a US base in Kuwait.
About 140 US forces have also been wounded, eight of them severely, per The Guardian.