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orywireA U.S. Air Force B-52 crashed shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in California, killing all eight people aboard. Officials said the aircraft was on a routine test mission, and the cause remains under investigation.
A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress crashed shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Monday, killing all eight people aboard, military officials said. The aircraft was on a routine test mission, and officials have not announced a cause.
The 412th Test Wing said the B-52 was carrying eight people when it crashed shortly after takeoff at 11:20 a.m. PDT on June 15. Edwards Air Force Base is in the Mojave Desert north of Los Angeles and is one of the Air Force’s major flight-test locations.
Emergency crews responded to the scene after the crash. The base’s initial public statement said early indications were that the crash was not survivable and that officials were working to account for all personnel.
Air Force officials described the people aboard as a mixed group that included uniformed military personnel, government civilians and government contractors. Boeing said two of its employees were among those on board and that the company was in contact with their families.
The names of those killed had not been released in the checked official and wire-service reports. Officials said family notifications were still part of the process after the crash.
The base said the aircraft was on a routine test mission. Air Force officials later said the flight was supporting the B-52 radar modernization program, according to AP and Reuters.
The Air Force Global Strike Command said in December that a B-52 with a modernized radar system had been moved to Edwards for ground and flight testing through 2026. The checked sources did not confirm whether the aircraft that crashed Monday was the same B-52 described in that earlier radar-modernization announcement.
The cause of the crash has not been released. Officials have not publicly confirmed a mechanical failure, flight-control problem, maintenance issue or test-equipment failure as the cause.
Col. James Hayes, deputy commander of the 412th Test Wing, said the investigation could take months, according to AP. Until the Air Force releases findings, any specific explanation for why the bomber went down remains unconfirmed.
Reuters reported that Air Force officials planned to ground operations at Edwards through at least Tuesday because of runway damage. Officials also said no operations beyond the base would be suspended.
The crash happened at a base central to U.S. military aircraft testing. The 412th Test Wing supports flight and ground testing of aircraft, weapons systems, software and related components, making Edwards a key site for development work across the Air Force.
The next major updates are expected to come from the Air Force, Edwards Air Force Base or Boeing. The most important outstanding details are the identities of those killed, the confirmed cause of the crash, the aircraft’s maintenance and test history, and when normal operations at Edwards resume.
Readers should rely on official Air Force updates and statements from Boeing for confirmed information about personnel, aircraft status and the investigation.
