Name: 6 US Airmen Killed in Military Plane Crash in Iraq Identified
Uploaded: 2026-03-16T08:17:05.000Z
Description: The airmen were on a KC-135 aerial refueling tanker supporting U.S. attacks on Iran.

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The Department of War on Saturday identified the six Air Force airmen who were killed in a plane crash in western Iraq earlier this week.

The airmen were on a KC-135 aerial refueling tanker supporting U.S. attacks on Iran. The crash on March 12 involved another aircraft but was not the result of hostile or friendly fire and is under investigation, the Pentagon has said.

Maj. John "Alex" Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Alabama; Capt. Ariana Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington state; and Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky, were assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, Florida.

Capt. Seth Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Indiana; Capt. Curtis Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio, were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio.

Families of the airmen are mourning the deaths of their loved ones.

Klinner had received his promotion to major just two months earlier, in January, and had recently moved his family into a new home, his wife, Libby Klinner, said in an Instagram post mourning his death, which has since been removed.

He is survived by three young children—7-month-old twins and a 2-year-old son.

Libby Klinner's Instagram post painted a portrait of a father whose children will never fully know what they lost.

"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."

Klinner had been deployed for less than a week when the refueling aircraft he was aboard crashed, his brother-in-law, James Harrill, said on Saturday.

"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.

Those who knew Klinner described a man who defined himself through quiet acts of service. Harrill recalled that the last time he had seen Klinner, in January at a family wedding, Klinner had taken it upon himself to shovel Harrill's car out of the snow without being asked.

"Alex was one of those guys that had this steady command about him," Harrill said. "He was literally one of the most kindest, giving people."

A <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/major-alex-klinner">GoFundMe</a> campaign launched by Harrill to support Klinner's wife and children described him as a devoted husband and father who "embodied what it means to be a servant leader." The fundraiser noted that Klinner had been deployed in support of Operation Epic Fury and that his death has left "an immeasurable void" in the lives of all who knew him.

Tyler Simmons's mother, Cheryl Simmons, said she had begun making funeral arrangements.

Simmons's family, in a statement obtained by Columbus television station WCMH-TV, described the grief that has engulfed those who loved him.

"Tyler's smile could light up any room, his strong presence would fill it. His parents, grandparents, family, and friends are grief stricken for the loss of life," they said.

The 121st Air Refueling Wing, in its <a href="https://www.facebook.com/121ARW/posts/pfbid0CPMyn34w7E6ozqRaphB4NqButxTR39rWCAJesGq7jJgaXuDyRpTvJVomiHuR9SFHl">Facebook post</a> on Friday, mourned all three of its fallen airmen and called on the public to respect the families' need for privacy during the bereavement.

"We share in the sorrow of their loved ones, and we must not forget the valuable contributions these Airmen made to their country and the impact they have left on our organization," the unit wrote.

A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refueling tanker aircraft takes off from the Kadena Air Base airfield in Kadena town, west of Okinawa, southern Japan, on Aug. 30, 2023. (Hiro Komae/AP Photo)

The KC-135 Stratotanker has been a cornerstone of U.S. air power for more than six decades. Designed primarily to refuel other aircraft in midair—extending their range—the plane can also be used to evacuate wounded personnel and carry out surveillance missions. As of last year, the Air Force operated 376 of them, split among 151 active-duty aircraft, 163 in the Air National Guard, and 62 in the Air Force Reserve, according to the Congressional Research Service.

<em>The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report</em>

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6 US Airmen Killed in Military Plane Crash in Iraq Identified

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