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B-52 Bomber Crashes at Edwards Air Force Base, Killing All Eight on Board
A B-52 Stratofortress on a radar-upgrade test flight went down shortly after takeoff Monday, killing the crew and grounding operations at the California base.
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A B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed on the runway at Edwards Air Force Base in California shortly after takeoff on Monday, killing all eight people on board. m. local time and burst into flames on impact.
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Edwards Air Force Base released the names of the eight deceased on Wednesday after next of kin were notified. The victims were weapons system officers Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella, 40, and Maj. Alexander Davis, 34; pilots Maj.
Robert Dee, 40, and Maj. Brad Hovey, 35; flight test engineer Jeremy Smith, 32; contractor and flight test engineer Christopher Rischar, 41; retired Lt. Col. Miles Middleton, 50, a Boeing pilot; and Col.
Gregory Watson, 53, a Boeing weapons officer and Air Force reservist. The group was operating as a Combined Test Force that pairs active-duty personnel with contractors and civilians for specific projects. Aerial footage showed a large burn scar and smoke visible for miles.
The airfield will stay closed until at least Thursday, with flight test operations scheduled to resume early next week. The Radar Modernization Program aims to keep B-52s flying into the 2050s. The planes, built in the early 1960s, remain among the oldest in the active fleet.
U.S. military has committed nearly $50 billion to the upgrades. Some B-52s were recently deployed during the Iran war. An Air Force Accident Investigation Board will examine the incident, a process that can take up to six months for initial findings.
The base has opened an Emergency Family Assistance Center offering mental health services, childcare, legal counsel, and chaplain support. Air Force Global Strike Command urged members to check on one another following the loss.
