A United States Air Force B-52 Stratofortress crashed shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Monday morning, killing all eight people on board, base officials said at an afternoon news conference.
The crash destroyed one of the airframes the Air Force has been flying in support of a radar modernization test program, the work the aircraft was carrying out when it went down.
What happened
The bomber went down at about 11:20 a.m. local time on the airfield at Edwards, in the western Mojave Desert about 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles, and burst into flames on impact. Aerial footage taken shortly afterward showed a wide patch of charred desert and a smoldering burn mark near the runway. Firefighters doused the wreckage as other emergency vehicles stood by.
Col. James Hayes, deputy commander of the 412th Test Wing at Edwards, told reporters that the military had reviewed footage of the accident and concluded no one on board could have lived through it. "After reviewing the footage of the crash, it was deemed that this was an unrecoverable crash, and unsurvivable," Hayes said. An earlier statement from the base said "initial indications are that the crash was not survivable."
Who was on board
The Air Force said the eight dead included active-duty military personnel, government civilians and government contractors who had been supporting the radar test mission. Boeing, which built and continues to support the B-52 fleet, confirmed that two of its employees were among those killed.
"We are in contact with their families and are offering support," the company said in a written statement. Next-of-kin notifications were underway Monday afternoon, Hayes said, and the Air Force did not release names.
"Today, Edwards Air Force Base experienced a terrible tragedy and we lost eight great Americans," Hayes said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family members. This is a tragedy."
Base response
Edwards closed its airfield after the crash and diverted all inbound aircraft, the base said in a statement. Non-commercial visitor passes were suspended to allow the installation to concentrate on emergency response. The base did not say when normal operations would resume.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and California Gov. Gavin Newsom both offered condolences on social media. Newsom called the crash "a tragic incident" and thanked first responders.
Cause unknown
The Air Force has not said what caused the crash and is unlikely to do so soon. Hayes said the formal investigation can take as long as six months and that the service would not release preliminary findings in the interim. Neither base officials nor Boeing offered any theory about whether the failure was mechanical, related to the test equipment the aircraft was carrying, or tied to the flight crew.
Edwards said it would issue further updates as information was confirmed. A memorial service date had not been set.