{"id":193060,"date":"2026-03-16T04:13:06","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T04:13:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/193060\/"},"modified":"2026-03-16T04:13:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T04:13:06","slug":"3-macdill-airmen-among-6-killed-in-kc-135-crash-in-iraq-during-combat-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/193060\/","title":{"rendered":"3 MacDill airmen among 6 killed in KC-135 crash in Iraq during combat mission"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Officials say the aircraft went down over friendly territory; investigation underway as MacDill community mourns the loss.<\/p>\n<p>TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 Three U.S. airmen assigned to MacDill Air Force Base were among six service members <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wtsp.com\/article\/news\/nation-world\/attack-on-iran\/iraq-plane-crash-us-military-members-killed-identified-tampa-macdill-air-force-base\/67-624115b1-55da-42c1-adca-1259551c536c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">killed when a refueling aircraft crashed<\/a> on March 12 in western Iraq during a combat mission, according to the Pentagon.<\/p>\n<p>The aircraft, a KC-135 tanker, went down during \u201cOperation Epic Fury,\u201d officials said. The Pentagon confirmed the crash occurred over friendly territory.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe incident occurred over friendly territory in western Iraq while the crew was on a combat mission again and was not the result, as CEO has said, was not the result of hostile or friendly fire,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/airmen-killed-us-refueling-aircraft-crash-iraq-identified\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Gen. Dan Caine<\/a>, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.<\/p>\n<p>Col. Ed Zepanik, commander of the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill, said the unit is \u201cdevastated by the loss.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Three of the airmen killed in the crash were assigned to MacDill\u2019s 6th Air Refueling Wing. They were identified as Major John \u201cAlex\u201d Klinner and Capt. Ariana G. Savino, both pilots, and Technical Sgt. Ashley Pruit, a boom operator.<\/p>\n<p>The airmen were part of the 99th Air Refueling Squadron in Birmingham, Alabama, and assigned to MacDill.<\/p>\n<p>Military officials said investigations are underway to determine what caused the crash.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCentcom and the Air Force will convene a safety board and an accident investigation board, and it\u2019s after that that we\u2019ll find out more,\u201d said retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Larry Martin, a former commander of the 6th Air Mobility Wing.<\/p>\n<p>Since the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran began Feb. 28, 13 U.S. service members have been killed.<\/p>\n<p>Martin said refueling aircraft like the KC-135 play a crucial role in global air operations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut as far as air operations go around the world, they couldn\u2019t happen without the gas that the tankers from MacDill give to receivers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>KC-135 aircraft have flown out of Tampa since 1996. Officials say there are 18 of them in the area that deploy worldwide to defend the homeland or support combat operations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s the ability the United States has that just about no one else in the world has,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n<p>Leaders at MacDill say the fallen airmen\u2019s sacrifice will not be forgotten and urged the community to support military families during deployments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no great parade of our service members as they deploy. So it\u2019s likely that if you\u2019ve got someone in your neighborhood that you know, their loved one, their service member, may be involved. They might be deployed. They might be working harder on the base. Check on them. See how they&#8217;re doing, and make sure they have the support that this community is famous for,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n<p>Officials said the fallen airmen will be returned to the United States through a dignified transfer ceremony at Dover Air Force Base. The exact date has not been released.<\/p>\n<p>Counseling services are available to members of the MacDill community, officials said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Officials say the aircraft went down over friendly territory; investigation underway as MacDill community mourns the loss. 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