By Jack Phillips
Contributing Writer
Eight unidentified U.S. Air Force service members are presumed dead after a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber aircraft crashed shortly after taking off for a routine test mission from Edwards Air Force Base in the Antelope Valley, the base said in a statement Monday.
“Initial indications are that the crash was not survivable. Emergency response personnel are on scene, and officials are working to account for all personnel,” the base said in a follow-up statement.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and unit members at this time.”
The crash is still under investigation, and it remains unclear what caused it.
The base did not provide any further details in its statement, adding that more information will be provided when it becomes available.
“Please join me in praying for the B-52 crew at Edwards Air Force Base and the entire Edwards community,” said Rep. Vince Fong, R-Calif., in a post on X.
Video footage of the incident showed the smoldering wreckage of the plane at the base, which is located in both Kern and San Bernardino counties.
The B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range bomber that was introduced in the 1950s as a central part of U.S. air power. The planes are capable of carrying conventional and nuclear weapons, and they have been used in a range of U.S. military confrontations, most recently in the war with Iran.
The bomber usually has a crew of five, including a commander, pilot, radar navigator, navigator, and electronic warfare officer. It also can carry a payload of up to 70,000 pounds and has a range of 8,800 miles, the Air Force says.
The Air Force says it is expecting to operate B-52s until the year 2050.
Both the Air Force and NASA carry out test flights of new and experimental aircraft at the air base, which is located in the Mojave Desert, according to its website. Earlier this month, NASA’s X-59 experimental aircraft flew faster than the speed of sound in a milestone event at Edwards Air Force Base, the space agency said.
The crash is one of several involving the U.S. military that have occurred in the past few weeks.
On May 17, two Navy EA-18G Growlers collided with one another in midair in an air show at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, the military said.
Over the past weekend, a military plane crashed near Mount Rainier in Washington state during a training flight, local officials said.
Before the crash on Monday, the most recent fatal incident involving a B-52 occurred in 2008, when six Air Force members died when a bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean after taking off from a base in Guam. The plane was due to take part in a parade flyover.
