U.S. Air Force officials say eight people aboard a B-52 Stratofortress are believed to have died after the bomber crashed shortly after takeoff Monday morning at Edwards Air Force Base in California’s Mojave Desert.
The crash occurred at about 11:20 a.m. local time at the base, located roughly 160 kilometres north of Los Angeles. Edwards officials said on social media that initial indications suggested the crash was not survivable. Emergency crews responded to the site, where aerial footage showed black smoke rising from a large burned area near a runway and emergency vehicles operating nearby. Officials had not said whether the aircraft was armed.
The airfield remained closed into the afternoon, with inbound aircraft diverted. The base also suspended non-commercial visitor passes so personnel could focus on emergency response operations.
The B-52, built by Boeing, entered service in 1955 and is one of the U.S. military’s longest-serving aircraft. It is designed to carry conventional and nuclear weapons and has been used in conflicts from Vietnam to operations in the Middle East. While the bomber is typically crewed by five people, the Air Force said eight were aboard Monday’s aircraft.
Edwards Air Force Base is a major centre for U.S. Air Force aircraft testing and development. Its 412th Test Wing conducts evaluations of aircraft, weapons systems, software and components before and during their service life. The base is also known for historic flight testing, including Chuck Yeager’s 1947 supersonic flight.
Aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti said the brief flight suggested a possible controllability problem, though he emphasized it was too early to identify a cause. He said test flights can involve higher risk because new equipment may present unexpected challenges.
The crash is the first reported B-52 loss since a 2016 accident in Guam, in which all seven crew members survived.