8 crew members believed dead in a B-52 bomber crash at California’s Edwards Air Force Base
Officials said the B-52 was on a radar modernization test flight, and the Air Force believes all eight people aboard were killed.
- On Monday, June 15, 2026, a United States Air Force B-52H Stratofortress crashed shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in California, with all eight people aboard presumed dead.
- The B-52H was conducting a routine test mission at the Mojave Desert facility, which serves as the primary test center for Air Force aircraft and weapons systems development.
- "Initial indications are that the crash was not survivable," stated Air Force Colonel James Hayes, deputy commander of the 412th Test Wing, adding, "We lost eight great Americans."
- Boeing confirmed that two of its employees were among the eight victims aboard the aircraft, which was supporting a radar modernization program at the time of the crash.
- Military investigations typically require months to complete as officials work to determine the specific factors contributing to the loss of the irreplaceable Cold War-era bomber.
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US Air Force B-52 bomber crashes at Edwards AFB in California, killing 8 crew members
LOS ANGELES: A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed on takeoff on Monday at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California's Mojave Desert, bursting into flames and killing all eight crew members aboard, Air Force officials said.The eight-engine, jet-powered aircraft, built to carry a wide array of nuclear and conventional bombs, was on a routine test mission when it crashed on the runway at Edwards just after leaving the ground, Ai…
The aircraft, which was conducting a routine test flight with military, government and civilian personnel, crashed shortly after take-off.
Eight people, including two Boeing employees, have died in the crash of a US B-52 Stratofortress bomber in California. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert, about 100 miles north of Los Angeles.
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What to know about Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California’s Mojave Desert
For decades, a U.S. Air Force base in Southern California’s Mojave Desert has been a hotbed of some of the most innovative flight research in the U.S. From a test pilot breaking the sound barrier to a space shuttle touching…
At Edwards Air Force Base in California, a B-52 bomber crashed shortly after the launch. All eight people on board were killed.
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