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Published 16:35 24 Mar 2026 GMT
A US airman who was killed in a plane crash in Iran had shared a haunting final conversation with his father the day before his death.
Tech Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28, was one of six US service members who died when an Air Force refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq on March 12.
The US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker collided with another tanker while flying in what officials described as "friendly airspace", while the second aircraft involved was able to land safely.
According to his father, in their last phone conversation from the Middle East, Simmons had predicted his was not "coming back" home from the Iran war.
His father, Mylo, told CNN that Simmons was "very calm" on their call the day before, saying that he "Told me how much he loved me, he told me to say he loved his dog, Grayson… and you know, he was very insightful.
"Unfortunately, he did tell me he didn’t think he was coming back."
Mylo told his only son that he hoped "he was going to be wrong", but managed to find some comfort that "he died doing what he loved doing."
The devastated father added: "I always shared with him, ‘Live life with no regrets.' And knowing Tyler, if he could do it all over again, he’d probably make the same decision because he loved what he did.
"I mean, obviously no one wants to die and no one foresaw that or saw that coming, but Tyler was… oh, he was just an amazing son and it was my privilege to be able to be his father."
The 28-year-old, who was from Columbus, Ohio, had spoken to his family about the hardships of his deployment, with his mother, Cheryl, telling WSYX that his team had previously been shot at.
She also opened up about the moment officers arrived at her door to tell her that Simmons had died, adding: "When he opened the door, he said, 'Oh no,' and I jumped up and ran in there and they were lined up out on the porch. You got to me kidding me."
As well as Simmons, the other casualties of the crash were Seth Koval, 38, and Curtis Angst, 30, part of the 121st Air Refueling Wing at the Rickenbacker base in Columbus, and three members of the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida: Maj John. A Klinner, 33; Capt. Ariana Savino, 31; and Tech Sgt. Ashley Pruitt, 34.
