Gambiaj.com – (CALIFORNIA, United States) – A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed near Edwards Air Force Base in California on Monday, killing everyone on board and prompting the temporary suspension of flight operations at one of America’s most important military test facilities.
A towering plume of black smoke rose from the crash site immediately after the accident and was visible for miles across the Mojave Desert.
Speaking to reporters, Air Force official Hayes said the aircraft carried a “mixed crew” comprising government civilians, government contractors, and uniformed military personnel. Aerospace manufacturer Boeing confirmed that two of its employees were among those killed.
The aircraft was supporting a radar modernization program when it crashed. Officials said the cause of the accident remains unknown and is under investigation.
Air Force authorities have not released the identities of the victims, noting that next of kin are still being notified.
Aerial footage from the scene, located about 100 miles north of Los Angeles, showed a vast charred and smouldering area of desert terrain larger than a football field. Emergency vehicles were seen moving around the perimeter of the crash site, while no major sections of wreckage were immediately visible from the air.
Hayes described the crash as having been quickly “deemed to be unsurvivable.”
The accident also caused damage to a runway at Edwards Air Force Base, leading military authorities to suspend all flight operations at the installation through at least Tuesday.
“Because of damage to the runway, we’re grounding all operations at Edwards Air Force Base,” Hayes said, while stressing that military activities beyond the base would not be affected.
Edwards Air Force Base, established in the 1930s around a dry lake bed in California’s Mojave Desert, covers approximately 481 square miles, making it the U.S. Air Force’s largest airfield.
The facility has played a pivotal role in aviation history, including the 1947 flight by Chuck Yeager that broke the sound barrier aboard the Bell X-1 aircraft. It also hosted test flights of the X-15 program and served as the landing site for NASA’s early space shuttle missions.
Backbone of America’s Bomber Fleet
The B-52 Stratofortress has long been the backbone of the United States’ strategic bomber force. The long-range, subsonic aircraft is capable of carrying up to 70,000 pounds of weapons and supplies and can deploy a wide range of munitions, including conventional bombs, precision-guided missiles, and nuclear weapons.
According to Air Force specifications, the aircraft can operate at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet and fly more than 8,000 miles without refueling.
Monday’s accident marked the first crash involving a B-52 since a similar aircraft went down on the Pacific island of Guam in May 2016. All seven crew members aboard that aircraft survived.
The aircraft involved in the latest crash was assigned to the 412th Test Wing, based at Edwards Air Force Base. Most operational B-52 bombers are stationed in North Dakota and Louisiana, with only the H-model variant remaining in active Air Force service.
Investigators are now working to determine what caused the crash, one of the deadliest incidents involving the iconic bomber in recent years.
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