Four crew members dead as US refuelling aircraft crashes in western Iraq

Four crew members have been confirmed dead after a US military refuelling aircraft crashed in western Iraq.

In a statement on Friday, the United States central command said the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker went down at about 2pm eastern time on March 12 during operations in the region.

“Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue,” the statement reads.

The military said investigations are underway to determine the cause of the crash.

“However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” the statement said.

Officials added that the identities of the victims would remain undisclosed until 24 hours after their families had been formally notified.

According to US Air Force officials, investigators suspect the crash may have been caused by a midair collision, though the exact circumstances remain unclear.

The aircraft crashed in a largely remote desert area in western Iraq.

Air-to-air refuelling missions such as those conducted by the KC-135 are routine for US Air Force pilots and accidents are considered rare.

However, the manoeuvre can be technically demanding, particularly in difficult weather conditions or strong winds.

The incident marks the fourth loss of a manned aircraft since the launch of Operation Epic Fury, a US military operation that began in late February.

None of the crashes have been attributed to hostile Iranian fire.

Earlier in March, three F-15E strike eagle jets were downed in a friendly fire incident involving Kuwaiti F/A-18 hornet aircraft.

The last time a US tanker aircraft crashed was in 2013, when a KC-135 conducting refuelling missions over Afghanistan went down shortly after departing Manas airport in Kyrgyzstan.

Three airmen were killed in that accident.