3/13/26 7:40 A.M. UPDATE: All six crew members aboard the KC-135 refueling aircraft that crashed in Iraq are confirmed dead, according to Central Command.
This update came just hours after saying 4 of the 6 members died.
The aircraft was lost while flying over friendly airspace Thursday, March 12th.
We still do not know the names base location of the crew members killed.
This is a developing story and will be updated as we get more information.
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3/13/26 4:00 a.m. UPDATE: 4 of 6 crew aboard the US KC-135 refueling aircraft that crashed in Iraq confirmed dead, the US military says.
Still no word on where the unit was based.
According to Central Command, rescue efforts are still underway for the other two people aboard.
The circumstances of the incident are under investigation.
The names of the deceased crew members will be released 24hrs after families are notified.
This is a developing story and will be updated as we get more information.
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SPOKANE, Wash – U.S. Central Command said Thursday a KC-135 refueling aircraft has gone down in Iraq.
CENTCOM says the incident went down in friendly airspace in western Iraq and that rescue efforts are ongoing.
Another KC-135 was involved and landed safely.
The military says this was not due to hostile or friendly fire.
Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane is home to these aircraft and we know a Washington National Guard refueling unit was activated last week.
4 News Now has reached out to Fairchild and local elected leaders for information as we try to determine where the lost aircraft’s unit was from.
Rep. Michael Baumgartner told 4 News Now his office has reached out but does not yet have any details.
“Obviously, our Fairchild service personnel are a top concern,” Rep. Baumgartner said.
4 News Now also contacted CENTCOM. A major said out of the respect for families, they are waiting to release information about where this crew was from.
24 hours after families are notified, CENTCOM can release that information publicly.
This is a developing story and will be updated as we get more information.
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