Airman from Columbus among those killed in refueling crash in Iraq

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – One of the crew members killed when a refueling aircraft crashed while supporting military operations against Iran is from Columbus. Tyler Simmons of the Air Force was one of the six people who died Friday in Iraq aboard a KC-135, a crash that brought the total number of service members killed in Iranian operations to 13. NBC4 learned of Simmons’ death through someone close with him and his family. A Pentagon spokesperson said that per policy, service members killed will not be named until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified. "When we heard it on the news last night about something that happened, we were hoping that Tyler was not involved in this," Stephan Douglas, Simmons' cousin, told NBC4. "Just the worst nightmare we could ever imagine. We trust in God that he will comfort us and be with our family. We believe this could have been prevented. It's a sad day." Rep. Dontavius Jarrells (D-Columbus) offered condolences to Simmons' loved ones. "I am heartbroken to learn of the loss of Tyler Simmons, a proud member of our community who chose a life of service to this nation," he said in a statement. "Tyler represented the very best of us, courageous enough to answer the call of duty and committed to something greater than himself. My prayers are with his family, his fellow service members, and everyone who loved him. As a community, we honor his sacrifice, we remember his life, and we hold close the responsibility to never take for granted the freedoms secured by men and women like Tyler." Simmons was an Eastmoor Academy graduate, where he played football. According to a Defense Department photo from 2023, Simmons was then an Air Force sergeant assigned to the Ohio National Guard’s 121st Air Refueling Wing. That wing is stationed out of the Rickenbacker Air National Base near Lockbourne. Simmons’ role at the time was described as a boom operator. An Air Force video from 2025 listed him as a technical sergeant and said he was assigned to the 166th Air Refueling Squadron and serving in Morocco. Further information on Simmons' background, including his age, was not immediately available. The crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace,” The Associated Press reported, and the other plane landed safely. U.S. Central Command said the circumstances of the crash are under investigation but that the loss of the aircraft was “not due to hostile or friendly fire.” Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon on Friday morning that the crash occurred “over friendly territory in western Iraq, while the crew was on a combat mission" and reiterated that hostile or friendly fire was not the cause. Speaking at the same news conference, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the crew heroes. “War is hell. War is chaos,” Hegseth said. “And as we saw yesterday with the tragic crash of our KC-135 tanker, bad things can happen. American heroes, all of them.” The Associated Press and NBC4 Digital Reporter Katie Millard contributed to this story.