Kyrgyz Airliner Grazes USAF KC-135:

Sept. 29, 2006

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

A Kyrgyzstan Tu-154 passenger airplane hit a US Air Force KC-135—wing tip to wing tip—at Manas AB, Kyrgyzstan, as the Tu-154 was taking off and the KC-135 was taxiing from the runway following its refueling mission. The USAF tanker caught fire, but the three crewmen aboard escaped without injury. According to a USAF release, the Kyrgyz aircraft continued its takeoff but then made an immediate emergency landing. No one on the airliner was injured. A joint investigation is underway.

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

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