8 dead as US Air Force B-52 bomber crashes after take-off in California
A US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base in California. The airfield was closed, inbound flights diverted, and visitor access suspended. Eight crew members reportedly died in the accident.
A US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed on Monday shortly after taking off from Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert, military officials said. Eight crew members are believed to be dead in the accident, according to CNN.
The aircraft went down on the Edwards airfield at approximately 11:20 a.m. local time, according to an official alert posted by the base on X. Emergency response teams were immediately dispatched to the crash site, and rescue and recovery operations remained ongoing.
In an update issued at 12:48 p.m. PDT, Edwards Air Force Base said the airfield had been closed and all inbound aircraft were being diverted. The base also announced that all non-commercial visitor passes had been suspended until further notice to allow the installation to focus entirely on emergency response efforts.
Aerial footage from the scene, located about 100 miles north of Los Angeles, showed a large charred and smoldering area of desert terrain roughly the size of a football field. An emergency vehicle was seen moving along the perimeter of the site, while no major pieces of aircraft debris were immediately visible in the footage.
The base said emergency crews responded promptly following the crash.
The cause of the crash has not yet been disclosed, and an investigation is expected to be launched once the scene is secured.
The Stratofortress, designed and built by Boeing, is a long-range, subsonic aircraft that has served as the backbone of the United States' crewed strategic bomber force for decades. According to the US Air Force, the swept-wing bomber is capable of carrying both nuclear and precision-guided conventional munitions, including gravity bombs and cluster munitions, at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet.
In conventional warfare, the B-52 can carry out a wide range of missions, including strategic attack, close-air support, air interdiction, offensive counter-air and maritime operations. The aircraft remains one of the most versatile and enduring platforms in the US military arsenal.
Monday's incident marks the first crash involving a B-52 Stratofortress since a bomber of the same type crashed on Guam in May 2016. According to the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archive, all seven crew members aboard that aircraft survived.
The Air Force and Pentagon initially declined to comment beyond the information released by Edwards Air Force Base, while base officials were not immediately available for additional statements, Reuters said.
Only the B-52H variant remains in active US Air Force service. The aircraft is assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, and the Air Force Reserve Command's 307th Bomb Wing, also based at Barksdale. All are operated under Air Force Global Strike Command.
A US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed on Monday shortly after taking off from Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert, military officials said. Eight crew members are believed to be dead in the accident, according to CNN.
The aircraft went down on the Edwards airfield at approximately 11:20 a.m. local time, according to an official alert posted by the base on X. Emergency response teams were immediately dispatched to the crash site, and rescue and recovery operations remained ongoing.
In an update issued at 12:48 p.m. PDT, Edwards Air Force Base said the airfield had been closed and all inbound aircraft were being diverted. The base also announced that all non-commercial visitor passes had been suspended until further notice to allow the installation to focus entirely on emergency response efforts.
Aerial footage from the scene, located about 100 miles north of Los Angeles, showed a large charred and smoldering area of desert terrain roughly the size of a football field. An emergency vehicle was seen moving along the perimeter of the site, while no major pieces of aircraft debris were immediately visible in the footage.
The base said emergency crews responded promptly following the crash.
The cause of the crash has not yet been disclosed, and an investigation is expected to be launched once the scene is secured.
The Stratofortress, designed and built by Boeing, is a long-range, subsonic aircraft that has served as the backbone of the United States' crewed strategic bomber force for decades. According to the US Air Force, the swept-wing bomber is capable of carrying both nuclear and precision-guided conventional munitions, including gravity bombs and cluster munitions, at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet.
In conventional warfare, the B-52 can carry out a wide range of missions, including strategic attack, close-air support, air interdiction, offensive counter-air and maritime operations. The aircraft remains one of the most versatile and enduring platforms in the US military arsenal.
Monday's incident marks the first crash involving a B-52 Stratofortress since a bomber of the same type crashed on Guam in May 2016. According to the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archive, all seven crew members aboard that aircraft survived.
The Air Force and Pentagon initially declined to comment beyond the information released by Edwards Air Force Base, while base officials were not immediately available for additional statements, Reuters said.
Only the B-52H variant remains in active US Air Force service. The aircraft is assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, and the Air Force Reserve Command's 307th Bomb Wing, also based at Barksdale. All are operated under Air Force Global Strike Command.
