{"id":2920,"date":"2026-03-15T02:58:47","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T02:58:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/?p=2920"},"modified":"2026-03-15T02:58:47","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T02:58:47","slug":"crew-of-fatal-us-military-crash-included-alabama-father-recently-deployed-and-several-from-ohioin-this-jan-28-2026-photo-u-s-air-force-master-sgt-aaron-slupski-a-crew-chief-with-the-121st-mainte","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/?p=2920","title":{"rendered":"Crew of fatal US military crash included Alabama father recently deployed and several from OhioIn this Jan. 28, 2026 photo, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Aaron Slupski, a crew chief with the 121st Maintenance Group, prepares to marshal a KC-135 Stratotanker at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Columbus, Ohio. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Friday that three of six crew members of an American KC-135 refueling plane were killed when it crashed in Iraq were from his state and had deployed with the Ohio Air National Guard’s 121st Air Refueling Wing. (Ralph Branson, U.S. Air National Guard photo via AP) A pilot from Alabama had just been promoted to major in January and had been deployed less than a week when the refueling aircraft he was aboard crashed in Iraq this week, killing him and five others, his brother-in-law said Saturday."},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
In this Jan. 28, 2026 photo, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Aaron Slupski, a crew chief with the 121st Maintenance Group, prepares to marshal a KC-135 Stratotanker at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Columbus, Ohio. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Friday that three of six crew members of an American KC-135 refueling plane were killed when it crashed in Iraq were from his state and had deployed with the Ohio Air National Guard’s 121st Air Refueling Wing. (Ralph Branson, U.S. Air National Guard photo via AP)<\/h6>\n

\"Next<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

A pilot from Alabama had just been promoted to major in January and had been deployed less than a week when the refueling aircraft he was aboard\u00a0crashed in Iraq<\/a>\u00a0this week, killing him and five others, his brother-in-law said Saturday.<\/p>\n

Alex Klinner, 33, leaves behind three small children: 7-month-old twins and a 2-year-old son, his brother-in-law, James Harrill, said Saturday while confirming his death.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of heartbreaking to say: He was just a really good dad and really loved his family a lot \u2014 like a lot,\u201d Harrill said.<\/p>\n

Klinner was one of three people killed in the Thursday crash that the U.S. government said were assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. On Saturday it identified the others as Capt. Ariana Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington, and Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky.<\/p>\n

Three additional deceased service members on the aircraft were assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio. They were identified by federal and state officials as Capt. Seth Koval, 38, Capt. Curtis Angst, 30, and Tech. Sgt. Tyler Simmons, 28.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The U.S. government listed Koval from Mooresville, Indiana, while the Ohio National Guard listed his home Stoutsville, Ohio. The Ohio National Guard listed both Angst and Simmons from Columbus, Ohio, while the U.S. government listed Angst as from Wilmington, Ohio.
\nThe aircraft was in \u201cfriendly\u201d airspace, supporting operations against Iran, when an unspecified incident involving another aircraft occurred, according to U.S. Central Command. The other plane landed safety, U.S. military officials said.<\/p>\n

A new father and a new major<\/p>\n

Klinner, a graduate of Auburn University and an eight-year U.S. Air Force veteran from Birmingham, Alabama, had just moved with his family into a new home, his wife, Libby Klinner, said in an Instagram post mourning his death.<\/p>\n

An outdoorsman who enjoyed hiking, Klinner was also ready to help others. When Harrill last saw him in January, Klinner had shoveled Harrill\u2019s vehicle out of the snow during a family wedding.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlex was one of those guys that had this steady command about him,\u201d said Harrill, of Atlanta, who helped set up a GoFundMe site for Klinner\u2019s family. \u201cHe was literally one of the most kindest, giving people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Libby Klinner said in a post that her heart is broken for their children, who will grow up not knowing their father.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey won\u2019t get to see firsthand the way he would jump up to help in any way he could,\u201d she wrote. \u201cThey won\u2019t see how goofy and funny he was. They won\u2019t witness his selflessness, the way he thought about everyone else before himself. They won\u2019t get to feel the deep love he had for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

A man with a ready smile<\/p>\n

Simmons was a boom operator responsible for transferring fuel from the tanker to the receiving aircraft, according to his Air Force biography.<\/p>\n

His mother, Cheryl Simmons, said Saturday that she was making funeral plans for her son.<\/p>\n

In a statement obtained by WCMH-TV in Columbus, Tyler Simmons\u2019 family said it was saddened beyond measure to hear of the fatal crash.<\/p>\n

\u201cTyler\u2019s smile could light up any room, his strong presence would fill it. His parents, grandparents, family and friends are grief stricken for the loss of life,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

The Ohio National Guard said Koval was an aircraft commander with 19 years of service. A graduate of Purdue University, he served in the Indiana National Guard before transferring to an Ohio unit in 2017, according to his Air Force biography.
\nAngst was a pilot with 10 years of service who graduated from the University of Cincinnati, according to his Air Force biography provided by the Ohio National Guard.<\/p>\n

The refueling aircraft is a mainstay in the US military<\/p>\n

U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, has said the crash occurred on a combat mission but was over \u201cfriendly\u201d territory in western Iraq. Military officials said it is being investigated and was \u201cnot due to hostile or friendly fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

The KC-135 aircraft refuels other planes in midair, allowing them to fly longer distances and sustain operations without landing. The plane can also be used to transport wounded personnel and conduct surveillance missions, according to military experts.<\/p>\n

The Congressional Research Service says the Air Force last year had 376 KC-135s, including 151 on active duty, 163 in the Air National Guard and 62 in the Air Force Reserve. It has been in service for more than 60 years.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this Jan. 28, 2026 photo, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Aaron Slupski, a crew chief with the 121st Maintenance Group, prepares to marshal a KC-135 Stratotanker at Rickenbacker Air … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2921,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.kob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/apimg\/2026\/03\/US_Iran_US_Plane_Down_02103.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nCrew of fatal US military crash included Alabama father recently deployed and several from OhioIn this Jan. 28, 2026 photo, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Aaron Slupski, a crew chief with the 121st Maintenance Group, prepares to marshal a KC-135 Stratotanker at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Columbus, Ohio. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Friday that three of six crew members of an American KC-135 refueling plane were killed when it crashed in Iraq were from his state and had deployed with the Ohio Air National Guard's 121st Air Refueling Wing. (Ralph Branson, U.S. Air National Guard photo via AP) A pilot from Alabama had just been promoted to major in January and had been deployed less than a week when the refueling aircraft he was aboard crashed in Iraq this week, killing him and five others, his brother-in-law said Saturday. - My News Notice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/?p=2920\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Crew of fatal US military crash included Alabama father recently deployed and several from OhioIn this Jan. 28, 2026 photo, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Aaron Slupski, a crew chief with the 121st Maintenance Group, prepares to marshal a KC-135 Stratotanker at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Columbus, Ohio. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Friday that three of six crew members of an American KC-135 refueling plane were killed when it crashed in Iraq were from his state and had deployed with the Ohio Air National Guard's 121st Air Refueling Wing. (Ralph Branson, U.S. Air National Guard photo via AP) A pilot from Alabama had just been promoted to major in January and had been deployed less than a week when the refueling aircraft he was aboard crashed in Iraq this week, killing him and five others, his brother-in-law said Saturday. - My News Notice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In this Jan. 28, 2026 photo, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. 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(Ralph Branson, U.S. Air National Guard photo via AP) A pilot from Alabama had just been promoted to major in January and had been deployed less than a week when the refueling aircraft he was aboard crashed in Iraq this week, killing him and five others, his brother-in-law said Saturday.","datePublished":"2026-03-15T02:58:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/?p=2920"},"wordCount":999,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/?p=2920#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.kob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/apimg\/2026\/03\/US_Iran_US_Plane_Down_02103.jpg?ssl=1","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/?p=2920#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/?p=2920","url":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/?p=2920","name":"Crew of fatal US military crash included Alabama father recently deployed and several from OhioIn this Jan. 28, 2026 photo, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. 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(Ralph Branson, U.S. Air National Guard photo via AP) A pilot from Alabama had just been promoted to major in January and had been deployed less than a week when the refueling aircraft he was aboard crashed in Iraq this week, killing him and five others, his brother-in-law said Saturday. - My News Notice","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/?p=2920#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/?p=2920#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.kob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/apimg\/2026\/03\/US_Iran_US_Plane_Down_02103.jpg?ssl=1","datePublished":"2026-03-15T02:58:47+00:00","author":{"@id":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/#\/schema\/person\/cb934ff639b0b38d9bd54c86b526cadf"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/?p=2920#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/?p=2920"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/?p=2920#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.kob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/apimg\/2026\/03\/US_Iran_US_Plane_Down_02103.jpg?ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.kob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/apimg\/2026\/03\/US_Iran_US_Plane_Down_02103.jpg?ssl=1"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/?p=2920#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Crew of fatal US military crash included Alabama father recently deployed and several from OhioIn this Jan. 28, 2026 photo, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Aaron Slupski, a crew chief with the 121st Maintenance Group, prepares to marshal a KC-135 Stratotanker at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Columbus, Ohio. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Friday that three of six crew members of an American KC-135 refueling plane were killed when it crashed in Iraq were from his state and had deployed with the Ohio Air National Guard’s 121st Air Refueling Wing. (Ralph Branson, U.S. Air National Guard photo via AP) A pilot from Alabama had just been promoted to major in January and had been deployed less than a week when the refueling aircraft he was aboard crashed in Iraq this week, killing him and five others, his brother-in-law said Saturday."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/#website","url":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/","name":"My News Notice","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/#\/schema\/person\/cb934ff639b0b38d9bd54c86b526cadf","name":"Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f6356d4a2af6504c44e5854632f50ed54bdda70f3c20095280518643c0525dc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f6356d4a2af6504c44e5854632f50ed54bdda70f3c20095280518643c0525dc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f6356d4a2af6504c44e5854632f50ed54bdda70f3c20095280518643c0525dc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/bbncnews.online"],"url":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2920"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2920\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2922,"href":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2920\/revisions\/2922"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bbncnews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}