Air Mobility Command accident investigators have concluded that the death of SrA. James D. Harris last winter was a failure on the airman’s part to follow safety standards. In a statement released April 28, AMC officials said that, on Dec. 17, 2005, Harris chose to use an “unserviceable” B-2 bomber maintenance stand to perform maintenance on a KC-10 tanker. He fell from the stand at a height of 13 feet and died from his injuries on Dec. 21.
The KC-Z4, a blended wing body tanker concept being developed by startup JetZero, could fuel larger groups of aircraft at longer range to hold more targets at risk, company officials say.