The U.S. Department of War on Saturday identified the six airmen killed when a KC-135 aerial refueling tanker crashed over Iraq while supporting U.S. operations against Iran.
The military said the aircraft was flying in “friendly” airspace in western Iraq on a combat mission when an unspecified incident involving another aircraft occurred. The other plane landed safely. U.S. officials said the crash was not caused by hostile fire or friendly fire and remains under investigation.
Three of the dead were assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, Florida: Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Alabama; Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington; and Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky.
The other three were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio: Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Indiana; Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio.
Klinner had been promoted to major in January and had been deployed for less than a week when the aircraft crashed Thursday, according to his brother-in-law, James Harrill.
Alex Klinner leaves behind three young children, Harrill said: 7-month-old twins and a 2-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,” Harrill said Saturday.
A graduate of Auburn University and an eight-year Air Force veteran from the Birmingham area, Klinner had recently moved with his family into a new home, his wife, Libby Klinner, said in an Instagram post mourning his death.
“My heart is broken for our children, who won’t know their daddy firsthand,” she wrote, adding that they would not get to see “the way he would jump up to help in any way he could” or “feel the deep love he had for them.”
Harrill described Klinner as steady, kind and quick to help others. When the family gathered for a wedding in January, Harrill said, Klinner shoveled his vehicle out of the snow.
“Alex was one of those guys that had this steady command about him,” Harrill said. “He was literally one of the kindest, most giving people.”
Simmons, one of the Ohio-based airmen, served as a boom operator, responsible for transferring fuel from the tanker to receiving aircraft, according to his Air Force biography.
His mother, Cheryl Simmons, said Saturday that the family was making funeral arrangements. In a statement obtained by WCMH-TV in Columbus, his family said they were devastated by the loss.
“Tyler’s smile could light up any room, his strong presence would fill it,” the statement said. “His parents, grandparents, family and friends are grief-stricken for the loss of life.”
The Ohio National Guard said Koval was an aircraft commander with 19 years of service. A graduate of Purdue University, he served in the Indiana National Guard before transferring to an Ohio unit in 2017, according to his Air Force biography.
Angst was a pilot with 10 years of service and graduated from the University of Cincinnati, according to his Air Force biography provided by the Ohio National Guard.
The KC-135 is one of the main aerial refueling aircraft used by the U.S. military, enabling warplanes to remain in the air longer and operate over greater distances without landing. The aircraft can also transport wounded personnel and support surveillance missions.
According to the Congressional Research Service, the Air Force had 376 KC-135 aircraft last year, including 151 on active duty, 163 in the Air National Guard and 62 in the Air Force Reserve. The aircraft has been in service for more than 60 years.