Former Beale Air Force Base pilot weighs in after deadly crash over Iraq

This week's mid-air crash between two Air Force jets that killed six flight crew members over Iraq is hitting close to home in Northern California.

One of those planes, a KC-135, features markings showing it was based at Beale Air Force Base (AFB) in California's Yuba County. So far, Beale AFB has not released any statement regarding the mid-air collision. 

The KC-135 refueling plane has been a familiar sight over Sacramento skies for the past 70 years.

Gerald Marlatt is a retired lieutenant colonel who flew KC-135s during his 27 years in the Air Force based at Mather, McClellan, and Beale, each across Northern California.

The tanker's distinctive tail boom is used to transfer gas to other aircraft, which is an essential mission during wartime.

"I was over there during Desert Storm and Desert Shield doing the same thing, and the fighters have to go in, hit their target, come back, get gas, go back in and hit because quite often the limiting factor is fuel," he said.

Marlatt says a mid-air collision like the one over Iraq is one of the worst mishaps that can happen while flying.

Photos show the second aircraft that landed safely is from Beale AFB.

Marlatt can't tell exactly what happened by looking at the pictures, but he says the aircraft's vertical stabilizer sustained extensive damage.

"The top third seems to be cut off, so my assumption was that they crossed underneath somebody, whether it was one of the engine nacelles or the back of the airplane itself and took off the tail," he said.

He remembers similar close calls when he flew refueling missions, where planes come within 20 feet of each other traveling at up to 400 miles an hour.

"There's time when you realize you're in a bad situation, but thankfully, we had enough buffer to avoid any collision," he said.

Marlatt says there's more pressure on pilots during combat missions.

"You won't do anything that you know is going to be dangerous, but you're going to push it a little closer, which in wartime you have to do that," he said.

Even though the cause of the crash is still not known, Marlatt says the loss of lives will be on the minds of crews that must continue to fly.

"It's going to affect everybody," he said. "They're definitely feeling it."

Marlatt says that even though the plane is from Beale, the flight crew involved in the mishap may be from other bases outside California.