US Air Force plane declares emergency on flight to UK base | UK | News

A US Air Force plane declared an emergency while flying from Israel to an air base in England today. According to an aircraft tracking account on X, the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker left Ben Gurion Airport for RAF Mildenhall and declared an emergency, reportedly due to a hydraulic problem.

Flight tracking data shows the crew transmitted the code Squawk 7700, the international signal indicating a general emergency off the coast of the United Kingdom. The universal code immediately alerts Air Traffic Control (ATC) and is often used as a precaution to obtain priority action. The crew asked if they could divert to London Heathrow, citing the need for a longer runway.

The aircraft, a REACH 123, requires a long runway, especially in the event of an emergency landing due to mechanical problems or heavy fuel loads. However, the plane appears to have landed safely at Mildenhall.

The aircraft is one of the U.S. Air Force’s large aerial refueling aircraft used to increase the range and endurance of bombers and other military jets by refueling them in flight.

While it was stated that two planes were involved in the incident, the US Central Command described the crashed plane as “lost”. The second plane landed safely.

The victims of the crash were identified as Capt. Ariana G. Savino, Maj. John ‘Alex’ Klinner, Sergeant Ashley B. Pruitt, Capt. Seth R. Koval, Capt. Curtis J. Angst, and Sergeant Tyler H. Simmons.

He added that the incident did not occur as a result of enemy or friendly fire and that the situation was still under investigation.

According to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity, both planes appear to be KC-135 tanker planes. A KC-135 generally requires a crew of three.

Operation Epic Fury is the code name of the military operation launched by the United States against Iran on February 28.