USAF Tanker Crashes in Kyrgyzstan, Crew Missing

USAF Tanker Crashes in Kyrgyzstan, Crew Missing

A U.S. military Boeing KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in a mountainous area in Kyrgyzstan for unspecified reasons on Friday, the United States Air Force said.

“A U.S. Air Force KC-135 tanker aircraft crashed today in northern Kyrgyzstan,” according to the USAF’s 376th Air Expeditionary Wing based in the country. The KC-135 is based on the Boeing 707, a 1950s-era, four-engined passenger jetliner.

The KC-135, also known as the Stratotanker, crashed into a mountain gorge about 36 miles west of the capital Bishkek, a Kyrgyzstan Interior Ministry spokesman told Russian news agency RIA Novosti. Kyrgyz news website kloop.kg showed photographs of fragments of the aircraft displaying its tail number, AMC 38877. According to FlightGlobal’s Milicas database, the aircraft entered service in 1964.

For the complete story by RIA Novosti, click here.

Updated: May 3, 2013 — 6:15 PM
Air Age Media ©
WordPress Image Lightbox Plugin