B-52 Bomber Crashes at Edwards Air Force Base, Killing All Eight Aboard
A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress crashed shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base in California on Monday morning. All eight people on board died in the crash, which occurred during a routine test mission.
theaviationist.comA U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress crashed shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base in California on Monday morning, killing all eight people aboard. m. local time during what officials described as a routine test mission. Initial indications are that the crash was not survivable, the base said in a statement.
Emergency crews responded to the scene near the main runway, where a large plume of black smoke rose from the site. m. local time.
Military officials said an investigation is underway to determine the cause. The aircraft was supporting the radar modernization program, according to Col. James Hayes, the deputy commander for the 412th Test Wing at Edwards. The people on board included government contractors and uniformed military personnel.
Two employees of the aircraft manufacturer were among those killed, the company confirmed.
Edwards Air Force Base, located about 100 miles north of Los Angeles in the Mojave Desert, has been the site of major aviation milestones. In 1947, test pilot Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier there in the Bell X-1. The base hosted the first landing of the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1981.
All Air Force aircraft undergo testing at the facility, along with some Navy and Army aircraft. " — Edwards Air Force Base statement The B-52 Stratofortress first entered service in the 1950s and remains part of the Air Force bomber fleet. The service plans to keep the aircraft flying until 2050.
