Air Force
‘He was just a really good dad’: Pentagon names 6 airmen lost in Iraq crash
Stars and Stripes
March 15, 2026
Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Ky., (clockwise from top); Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Wash.; Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Ind.; Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio; Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Ala.; Air Force Tech. Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio. (U.S. Air Force, Ohio National Guard and courtesy photos)
The Pentagon on Saturday identified six airmen killed when their KC-135 Stratotanker crashed in western Iraq while supporting Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. campaign with Israel against Iran.
The airmen were Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Ala.; Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Wash.; and Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Ky, who were assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.
Also killed were Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Ind.; Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio; and Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio, who were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Ohio.
The refueling aircraft went down in friendly airspace at about 2 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday. The circumstances of the crash remain under investigation, though U.S. Central Command said it was not caused by hostile or friendly fire.
An undated photo of Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Ala., assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. Klinner was one of six Airmen who died March 12, 2026, when a KC-135 aircraft crashed in western Iraq while supporting Operation Epic Fury. (Courtesy photo)
Klinner — a pilot from Alabama who was promoted in January — had been deployed for less than a week when the crash occurred, his brother-in-law, James Harrill, told The Associated Press on Saturday.
He is survived by his wife, Libby Klinner, and three young children — 7-month-old twins and a 2-year-old son — according to the report.
“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.
In a post on Instagram on Saturday, Libby Klinner said she was heartbroken for their children.
“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.”
An undated photo of Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Wash., assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. Savino was one of six Airmen who died March 12, 2026, when a KC-135 aircraft crashed in western Iraq while supporting Operation Epic Fury. (Courtesy photo)
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., issued a statement expressing condolences to Savino’s family after the airmen’s names were released.
“I am deeply grateful for her courage and sacrifice in service to our country,” Murray wrote. “Our servicemembers put their lives on the line to keep our country safe — remarkable women like Capt. Savino represent the absolute best of our state and country.”
An undated photo of Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Ky., assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. Pruitt was one of six Airmen who died March 12, 2026, when a KC-135 aircraft crashed in western Iraq while supporting Operation Epic Fury. (Courtesy photo)
Pruitt had served in the Air Force since 2017 and deployed four times, according WLKY News in Louisville, Ky.
“Praying for the family and friends of TSgt. Ashley Pruitt of Bardstown,” Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., said in a statement Saturday. “God bless her memory and her ultimate sacrifice in Operation Epic Fury to rid the world of the largest state sponsor of terror. Her legacy will never be forgotten.”
Pruitt is the second service member from Kentucky killed during the operation. Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, died March 8 from injuries he suffered in a March 1 attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
An undated photo of Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Ind. (U.S. Air Force)
In a statement posted to Facebook on Saturday, Koval’s family said he “was truly the most amazing husband, father, son, brother, friend, and Airman. He loved what he did, and he was proud to put his uniform on and serve others. He grew up dreaming about becoming a pilot and to stand beside him as he made his dreams come true was an honor.”
Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio. (Ohio National Guard)
Angst, a KC-135 pilot, held a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Cincinnati, according to WBNS-TV in Columbus, Ohio.
He enlisted in the Ohio Air National Guard in 2015 as a vehicle maintenance technician before earning his commission in 2021 and qualifying as a refueling pilot in 2024, the CBS affiliate reported Saturday.
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Tyler Simmons, a boom operator assigned to the Ohio National Guard's 121st Air Refueling Wing in Columbus, Ohio, speaks during the Enlisted Leadership Symposium at Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Youngstown, Ohio, on June 27, 2023. (Nicholas Battani/U.S. Air Force)
The family of Simmons — the youngest of the six airmen — said in a statement that “Tyler’s smile could light up any room.”
“His strong presence would fill it,” they wrote Saturday. “His parents, grandparents, family and friends are grief stricken for the loss of life.”
The deaths bring to 13 the number of service members killed in Operation Epic Fury.