COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Three of the six servicemembers killed when a refueling aircraft crashed while supporting military operations against Iran are from Ohio, including at least one from Columbus.
“I have been advised by Ohio’s Adjutant General that three of the six servicemembers killed during the air refueling mission in Iraq were Ohioans deployed with the Ohio Air National Guard’s 121st Air Refueling Wing,” Gov. Mike DeWine said in a statement.
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. The identities of the other servicemembers have not been released.
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.”How new Ohio State president Ravi Bellamkonda championed DEI in past roles
“Our hearts are saddened beyond measure to learn of six more airmen being killed last night,” the family said in a written statement. “One of them is our Beloved Tyler Simmons. Tyler’s smile could light up any room, his strong presence would fill it. His parents, grandparents, family and friends are grief stricken for the loss of life.”
Simmons’ family encouraged people to register to vote if they’d like to see change.
“Vote for Tyler and the five others who lost their lives recently and for all those serving our country,” the statement reads. “They are heroes who are loved and will be missed. Praying for Tyler, his fellow airmen, his family and we pray for the United States to do better and be better.”
Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) asked Ohioans to join him and his wife in praying for the families of the six servicemembers who lost their lives.
“These heroes paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country — putting the safety and security of their fellow Americans above themselves,” he said. “We will always remember these service members’ noble mission to protect the homeland and the sacred freedom of America.”
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, 28, 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.
His family told NBC4 that he was a Technical Sergeant with the Air Force and did this tour to become a Master Sergeant. Simmons would’ve had all of the requirements to move up the rank.
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.
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