Details
- The B-52 Stratofortress crashed at about 11:20 a.m. local time on Monday, shortly after taking off from Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert.
- Air Force officials said all eight people on board were killed, including military personnel, civilian government employees and government contractors.
- Boeing confirmed that two of its employees were among those aboard the aircraft.
- Colonel James Hayes described the incident as an “unsurvivable” crash and said the aircraft burst into flames after takeoff.
- The bomber was supporting the Air Force’s radar modernisation programme during a routine test flight.
- Emergency crews contained the crash site within the base, while flight operations were temporarily suspended and inbound aircraft were diverted.
- Officials said no cause has been identified and that preliminary investigations could take several weeks, while a full inquiry may take more than six months.
- CNN reported that it was the deadliest B-52 accident since 1982, when nine crew members were killed during a test training flight in California.
- The B-52 entered service in 1955 and remains a long-range strategic bomber capable of carrying conventional and nuclear weapons.
What Else
The inquiry could affect future test flights involving the Air Force’s ageing B-52 fleet. The crash also highlights the continued reliance on an aircraft that is still being modernised decades after entering service.
