An American military aerial refueling tanker that was involved in the U.S. military operation in Iran crashed in western Iraq on Thursday, according to multiple U.S. officials who spoke to CBS News.
Recovery efforts are underway in the area where a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker crashed. The status of the crew is unknown at this time. A second Stratotanker was damaged but landed safely.
The first plane went down near Turaibil, which is along the Iraqi-Jordanian border, an Iraqi intelligence source told CBS News.
According to flight tracking service FlightRadar24, a KC-135 tanker declared an emergency before landing in Tel Aviv Thursday evening.
U.S. Central Command released a statement Thursday afternoon saying both aircraft were involved in the same incident, and it “was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.”
The full statement read: “U.S. Central Command is aware of the loss of a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft. The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing. Two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely.
“This was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.
“More information will be made available as the situation develops. We ask for continued patience to gather additional details and provide clarity for the families of service members.”
According to CBS News, “this marks the fourth publicly acknowledged aircraft to crash as a part of Operation Epic Fury. Last Monday, the U.S. military also confirmed that three F-15E Strike Eagles were downed in a friendly-fire incident involving Kuwait, but all six crew members safely ejected.
“Each branch of service has its own terminology for launching recovery missions of a downed aircraft but generally they’re called Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel, or TRAP, missions.
“These types of missions rapidly deploy after an aircraft crash and can be dangerous, as U.S. forces race to secure the crash site before enemy forces can.
“The goal is to retrieve pilots or crew members — who may be injured or deceased — and retrieve or destroy sensitive equipment that remains intact.”
