Crew of US refueling plane who died in crash included Alabama father of 3 young kids

By AP 14 March 2026, 11:10 pm

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In this photo provided by the US Air National Guard, US Air Force Capt. Alex Klinner, operations flight commander for the 99th Air Refueling Squadron, completes another lap during the Shell 77 Memorial Run at Sumpter Smith Joint National Guard Base, Birmingham, Alabama, on May 2, 2025. (Paul Mann/US Air National Guard via AP)

A pilot from Alabama had just been promoted to major in January and had been deployed less than a week when his refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq this week, killing him and five others, his brother-in-law says.

Alex Klinner, 33, leaves behind three small children: 7-month-old twins and a 2-year-old son, his brother-in-law, James Harrill, says while confirming his death.

“It’s kind of heartbreaking to say: He was just a really good dad and really loved his family a lot — like a lot,” Harrill says.

Also on the aircraft was an Ohio man whose loved ones remembered him for his smile, his parents say.

The Pentagon hasn’t yet revealed the identities of the six, but families have begun saying who died.