The maintenance record for the plane, powered by four Pratt & Whitney jet engines, was not yet available, Peck said.
There is no ejection system on the plane, built in 1963, said Peck.
It was the second crash at Dyess in less than three months. A B-1B bomber crashed there Nov. 8. The four-man crew safely bailed out.
The KC-135, dubbed the Stratotanker, is the backbone of the Air Force's refueling fleet.
The aircraft, a military spin-off of the Boeing 707, normally takes a crew of four or five. It can carry a sizeable load of passengers even when carrying fuel.
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A KC-135 crashed Oct. 11, 1988, at Wurtsmith Air Base near Oscoda, Mich. That plane, also based at Sawyer, crashed and burst into flames on landing, killing six and injuring 10.