Governor Ferguson orders flags at half-staff for Air Force Capt. from Covington killed in Iraq

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson has ordered all state agencies to lower Washington state and American flags to half-staff on April 10 to honor fallen Air Force Captain Ariana G. Savino from Covington.

Savino, 31, was one of six airmen killed on March 12 when their KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq.

She earned her active duty commission at Central Washington University in 2017 and became a pilot in 2025.

Capt. Savino flew 348 combat hours between deployments in 2020 and 2026 in U.S. Command Operations SPARTAN SHIELD, SENTINEL SENTRY, and EPIC FURY.