KC-46A and F-22A refueling attempt ends with boom detaching and striking tanker off Virginia coast

A KC-46A Pegasus tanker lost its refueling boom during an attempted mid-air refueling of an F-22A Raptor roughly 100 miles off the Virginia coast on July 8, 2025. The boom nozzle became stuck inside the F-22A's refueling receptacle, prompting an emergency breakaway.

Approximately five seconds after the F-22A disconnected, the boom came free and struck the KC-46A's tail cone and auxiliary power unit exhaust duct before falling into the sea.

The KC-46A crew reported a loud noise and violent motion that made the aircraft bow wave several times before the boom broke away. No personnel were injured. The mishap caused $9,978,567 in damage to the KC-46A, according to the Air Force accident investigation released last week.

Investigators determined that the boom operator's control inputs caused the nozzle to bind inside the F-22A's receptacle. The F-22A pilot did not account for the KC-46A's stiff boom characteristics, resulting in an excessive closure rate. The F-22A struggled to maintain position behind the KC-46A, requiring multiple corrections by the boom operator.

After contact was established, the F-22A moved too far forward while the operator continued adjusting the boom's control system. Those adjustments left the boom out of trim, creating aerodynamic forces that stuck the nozzle inside the F-22A's receptacle. The boom operator was unable to release it.

The investigation attributed the incident primarily to the actions of the F-22A pilot and the KC-46A boom operator. Business Insider reported that at least three refueling mishaps between 2022 and 2024 were also linked to stiff KC-46A booms, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine.