Pinckney, Victoria Ann

Victoria Ann Pinckney was a 27-year-old captain in the United States Air Force, assigned to the 93d Air Refueling Squadron at Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington. A native of Palmdale, California, she served as a KC-135 Stratotanker pilot, a role critical to long-range air operations.

On May 3, 2013, Pinckney was piloting a KC-135 on a refueling mission from the Transit Center at Manas, a U.S. air base in Kyrgyzstan. According to U.S. Air Force reports, the aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff in a rural area near the village of Chon-Aryk, approximately 100 miles west of the capital, Bishkek. All three crew members aboard were killed.

The crash occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign that began in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks. The Transit Center at Manas served as a crucial logistics and aerial refueling hub for coalition forces operating in Afghanistan. The KC-135's mission was part of that sustained air support effort.

The U.S. Air Force initiated an immediate investigation into the crash. A statement from the 18th Air Force commander expressed condolences to the families of the crew. Pinckney's remains were returned to the United States, and she was posthumously awarded the Meritorious Service Medal and the Air Medal.

Captain Pinckney is memorialized on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the Air Force Academy and on the Veterans Memorial at her alma mater, Palmdale High School. Her squadron commander stated she was a respected pilot and officer whose loss was deeply felt.

Captain Pinckney was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001–2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.

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