Overview

• Air Mobility Command released three accident reports confirming that high radial forces caused the KC-46 boom nozzle to bind during refueling events in October 2022, November 2022, and August 2024.
• The incidents caused widely varying damage, with estimates of about $8.3 million, $103,000, and $14.4 million, and involved KC-46s from the 305th Air Mobility Wing and 22nd Air Refueling Wing refueling F-15Es and an F-22.
• Investigators cited a sensitive boom flight-control stick, an ineffective Remote Vision System HI‑LOAD warning, and gaps in manuals, guidance, and simulators that cannot replicate nozzle binding.
• AMC instituted near-term mitigations that include focused training for fighter refueling and expanding the refueling envelope from six to ten feet to give operators more reaction time and better visual cues.
• A separate nozzle-binding event in July remains under investigation, as the Air Force and Boeing pursue a boom actuator redesign and Remote Vision System 2.0 upgrades expected to run into 2027, with the KC-46 still subject to operational restrictions.