Families of six U.S. service members killed in a KC-135 refueling aircraft crash in western Iraq described the lives and work of the crew members as officials said the accident occurred while the plane supported operations against Iran in “friendly” airspace.
The Associated Press reported that the military identified the victims late Saturday and said the crash was being investigated. U.S. Central Command said the aircraft was operating in the region of the incident on Thursday when an unspecified incident involving another aircraft occurred, according to the AP report, and U.S. military officials said that other aircraft landed safely.
Among those killed was Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky, who was described by her husband, Gregory Pruitt, as “very, very” proud of her Air Force service. In a phone interview, Gregory Pruitt said, “I’ll give you something brief: in a word, radiant,” and added, “If there was a light in the room, she was it.” The AP said Pruitt was raising two children—her husband’s stepson and the couple’s 3-year-old daughter—and that she joined the military nine years ago and had deployed overseas three times.
The AP reported that Pruitt had nearly 900 combat flight hours and two associate degrees from the Community College of the Air Force. Most recently, she served with the 99th Air Refueling Squadron at the Sumpter Smith Joint National Guard Base in Birmingham, Alabama, and was described as an assistant flight chief of operations who was an instructor in operating the boom on the KC-135, which refuels other planes midair.
U.S. Air Force officials identified Pruitt as one of three victims connected to the Sumpter Smith base and the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, according to the AP account. The other three were described as being from Ohio Air National Guard bases in Columbus, where officials and families identified the remaining crew members in statements.
One of the Ohio-based victims was Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, described by the Ohio National Guard as an instructor pilot for the KC-135R Stratotanker with 19 years of service. The AP reported that Koval lived in Stoutsville, Ohio, served as an aircraft commander with the 121st Air Refueling Wing out of Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, and trained pilots for missions including air refueling, aeromedical operations, cargo, and passenger operations.
Koval’s wife Heather described him in a family statement posted on Facebook, saying in part that “He grew up dreaming about becoming a pilot and to stand beside him as he made his dreams come true was an honor.” The AP reported that she also wrote, “I will see him in the smile of our son and carry him with me in every moment,” and that she described his faith in Jesus. The AP said Koval was from Mooresville, Indiana, had a bachelor’s degree in aviation operations from Purdue University, deployed five times in the past 12 years, and had more than 2,000 flight hours including 443 in combat.
The AP also reported that Ohio adjutant general Maj. Gen. Matthew S. Woodruff called the Columbus-based crew “remarkable Airmen whose service and commitment embodied the very best of our Ohio National Guard.” In a separate news release, U.S. Air Force Col. Ed Szczepanik, commander of the 6th Air Refueling Wing, said, “To lose a member of the Air Force family is excruciatingly painful, especially to those who know them as son, daughter, brother, sister, spouse, mom, or dad,” and added, “To lose them at the same time is unimaginable.”
Another Columbus-area crew member described by the AP was Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30. The AP said Angst served for a decade after earning a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Cincinnati and enlisted in the Ohio Air National Guard in 2015, with deployments including 2015 and this year. In a statement posted on Facebook by his wife, Mary, the AP reported that Angst’s family said, “He was doing what he loved most — flying and serving alongside the men and women he cared so deeply about,” and described his life as defined by service, generosity, and “a genuine love for people.”
The AP reported that Angst was a KC-135R pilot with the 166th Air Refueling Squadron and lived in Columbus, and that a statement about his death from the federal government indicated he was from Wilmington, Ohio. The report said he had 880 flight hours, including 67 combat hours, and that he was promoted to captain in November.
The AP reported that Maj. John A. “Alex” Klinner, 33, had been promoted to major in January and had been deployed less than a week when the crash occurred, according to his brother-in-law, James Harrill. Klinner, the AP said, left behind three small children: 7-month-old twins and a 2-year-old son. Harrill was among those who described Klinner as helpful and kind, and he told the AP he helped set up a GoFundMe for the family.
In remarks included in the AP report, Harrill described Klinner as “Alex was one of those guys that had this steady command about him,” adding, “He was literally one of the most kindest, giving people.” Klinner’s wife Libby Klinner posted on Instagram and described her grief, writing that their children “won’t get to see firsthand the way he would jump up to help in any way he could,” and that “They won’t witness his selflessness, the way he thought about everyone else before himself.” The AP reported that Klinner deployed four times since 2019 and recorded 362 combat hours and 181 combat support hours.
The remaining crew members identified by the AP included Tech Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28, who served as a boom operator with Ohio’s 166th Air Refueling Squadron. The report said Simmons’ mother, Cheryl Simmons, was making funeral plans and that in a statement obtained by WCMH-TV in Columbus, Simmons’ family said they were “saddened beyond measure” and described his “smile” as something that could light up a room. The AP also reported that Simmons joined the Air Force in 2017, earned an associate degree from the Community College of the Air Force, was made a refueling specialist in 2022, became a technical sergeant in 2023, deployed three times in the past decade, and had 230 combat hours.
Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, was also identified by the AP as one of the six. The AP reported that Savino served as a pilot and was described as chief of current operations for the 99th Air Refueling Squadron, responsible for the flying hour program and managing daily flight scheduling. Savino, from Covington, Washington, graduated through the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Central Washington University, received an active duty commission in 2017, served at bases in Georgia and Mississippi, and had more than 300 combat hours, according to the AP.
The AP report said the Air Force and other officials had been working to confirm details as the investigation continues, and officials had described the crash as occurring in friendly airspace while supporting operations against Iran.