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Plane CrashesVersion 7

Six US Air Force crew killed in KC-135R accident in Iraq; damaged tanker repaired with donor tail

AeroTime reports six crew deaths in the March 12, 2026 accident near Turaibil, Iraq, while a second Stratotanker that lost part of its fin has returned to flight.

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 3, 2026, 3:56 a.m. ETUpdated Aug 7, 2026, 9:46 a.m. ET
crew members were killed in an accident involving KC-135R Stratotankers near , , on March 12, 2026, according to reporting by AeroTime. The cause has not been determined. AeroTime reported people on board and crew fatalities. A dignified transfer for the crew was held at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, on March 18, 2026, the outlet reported. The aircraft in which the crew died has not been identified by tail number in the available reporting. According to AeroTime, a second KC-135R, tail number 63-8017, lost the upper portion of its vertical stabilizer, squawked 7700 and landed at Ben Gurion Airport with close to half of its fin sheared away. The outlet reported that the aircraft has since been repaired with a fin taken from KC-135R 63-8002 and is flying again. Both aircraft were supporting Operation Epic Fury, AeroTime reported. The aircraft were operated by the . No cause has been established and no findings have been announced.

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Reference data

From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.

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Revision history

  1. Version 77 Aug 2026, 13:46current

    Headline and dek rewritten to reflect both the fatalities and the repaired aircraft; body wording tightened, facts unchanged.

  2. Version 64 Aug 2026, 23:37

    Added note that the aircraft in which the crew died has not been identified by tail number in the reporting; added headline and dek.

  3. Version 54 Aug 2026, 23:26

    Headline and dek rewritten to lead on the repaired aircraft's return to flight; body wording tightened, facts unchanged.

  4. Version 44 Aug 2026, 23:21

    Headline and dek rewritten to lead with the donor-tail repair and the fatal accident; body wording tightened, with "six crew aboard" changed to "six people on board" to match the fact set.

  5. Version 34 Aug 2026, 20:08

    Tightened wording on the repaired aircraft's return to flight; no new facts added.

  6. Version 24 Aug 2026, 20:04

    Updated to report that the repaired KC-135R 63-8017 has returned to flight with the donor fin; removed the developing-event line.

  7. Version 14 Aug 2026, 17:29

    First published.

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