One of the crew members is from Washington: 31-year-old Capt. Ariana G. Savino. She was from Covington. — The Pentagon has identified the six airmen who died in an aircraft crash in western Iraq on Thursday.
One of the crew members is from Washington: 31-year-old Capt. Ariana G. Savino. She was from Covington.
She was one of three who were from the 99th Air Refueling Squadron.
“Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of Alex, Ariana and Ashley. To lose a member of the Air Force family is excruciatingly painful, especially to those who know them as son, daughter, brother, sister, spouse, mom, or dad. To lose them at the same time is unimaginable. Our hearts and minds are with the family, friends and loved ones of our fallen Airmen,” shared Col Ed Szczepanik, 6th Air Refueling Wing Commander.
“Our communities feel this loss deeply and Team MacDill will ensure their sacrifices and service to our nation are never forgotten. We will honor them each and every day as we continue to answer our nation’s call.”
MacDill Air Force Base is a geographically separated unit stationed at Sumpter Smith Joint National Guard Base in Birmingham, Alabama, but functions administratively under the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida.
Who was Capt. Ariana G. Savino?
According to her biography from the U.S. Air Force, she was responsible for the unit’s $21 million flying hour program, coordinating headquarters’ taskings, managing daily flight scheduling, aircrew training missions, and resource allocation to ensure mission execution.
Capt. Savino earned her active duty commission in 2017 through Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps from Central Washington University.
In 2020, she graduated from training as a Combat Systems Officer and then served at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia as a Standardization and Evaluation officer, Assistant Flight Commander and Flight Commander.
Capt. Savino then attended undergraduate pilot training at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi, earning her wings in 2025 before becoming a KC-135 pilot.
She deployed in 2020 and 2026 in support of United States Central Command Operations SPARTAN SHIELD, SENTINEL SENTRY, and EPIC FURY, flying 348 combat hours in both the E8-C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System as a Combat Systems Operator and the KC-135 Stratotanker as a Pilot.
Other airmen who were killed in the crash
- 33-year-old Maj. John Alex Klinner of Auburn, Alabama
- 34-year-old Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt of Bardstown, Kentucky
- 38-year-old Capt. Seth R. Koval of Mooresville, Indiana
- 30-year-old Capt. Curtis J. Angst of Wilmington, Ohio
- Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio
The crash
The Pentagon said Saturday the incident is still under investigation.
The crew was aboard a US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft on Thursday above western Iraq when it crashed.
The US military said that the incident was “not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.”
The KC-135 allows aircraft to refuel in the sky to remain in a battle zone for longer. They can also be configured to carry cargo and medical patients.