B-52 Stratofortress crashes during routine test mission at Edwards Air Force Base, kills eight military and civilian personnel

A Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed and caught fire shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in California’s Mojave Desert, according to military officials. All eight people on board were reportedly killed in the crash. The base said the aircraft was on a routine test mission at the time.

The crash was reported at around 11:20 a.m. local time, according to the base. Edwards Air Force Base is located approximately 100 miles north of Los Angeles in Kern County. Video from the scene showed thick black smoke rising from an area near the airfield.

Those on board included members of the military, government civilians, and government contractors, according to officials. The Boeing Company later confirmed that two of its employees were among the eight people who died in the crash.

Boeing confirms two of its employees were killed among the eight on board

According to NBC Los Angeles, Col. James Hayes, the deputy commander for the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base, addressed the loss at a press conference. “We lost eight great Americans,” he said. Military officials said families of the victims were being notified.

In a statement, the base said, “Initial indications are that the crash was not survivable.” Emergency response personnel were deployed to the scene, and officials said they were working to account for all personnel on board.

All inbound aircraft were diverted following the crash, according to the base, which said the airfield was closed. Details about the identities of those on board were not immediately made available by officials. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has previously addressed questions about U.S. military readiness and stockpile concerns, too.

Officials said determining a cause could take several months. No further details about what may have led to the crash were immediately available. The B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range strategic bomber made by Boeing. According to the U.S. Air Force, the aircraft generally carries a crew of five and is capable of flying at subsonic speeds and reaching altitudes of up to 50,000 feet. 

The Air Force describes the B-52 as a workhorse that has served in operations including Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and has been a core part of the U.S. bomber force for decades. The aircraft is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons. The bomber has also been at the center of broader U.S. military activity in the Middle East, where Iran launched drone and missile attacks on U.S. bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan in retaliation for U.S. strikes.

Edwards Air Force Base covers approximately 480 square miles in Kern County and is used by the U.S. Air Force for research, development, and testing of aircraft, weapons systems, software, and components, according to the base. 

NBC Los Angeles points out that it is the same base where pilot Chuck Yeager reportedly broke the sound barrier in 1947. The base also served as a landing site for dozens of NASA Space Shuttle missions, with the Space Shuttle Atlantis making the last shuttle landing there in 2009.