A KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft belonging to the 186th Air Refueling Wing made an emergency landing today at Key Field during a routine air refueling mission.

The pilots and crew aboard the aircraft landed safely, and no injuries were reported. The emergency landing was due to damage to the boom of the plane, which could not retract during the flight.

Col. Cynthia Smith, commander of the 186th Air Refueling Wing, stated, “Our crews train for situations like this, and they were highly successful in handling this emergency.”

An investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the boom damage.

Based at Key Field, the 186th Air Refueling Wing provides 1,100 personnel and eight KC-135R aircraft to Air Mobility Command for worldwide operations. Additional units at Key Field include the 238th Air Support Operations Squadron, the 248th Air Traffic Control Squadron, and the 186th Air Operations Group.