US B-52 bomber crashes in flames in California, all eight onboard killed

A U.S. Air Force United States Air Force B-52 Stratofortress crashed shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in California’s Mojave Desert on Monday, erupting into fire and killing all eight people on board, officials said.

The Boeing-built strategic bomber was on a routine test and training flight when it went down on the runway just after becoming airborne. A senior Air Force official said the aircraft struck the ground during takeoff, triggering a massive blaze and sending thick black smoke into the sky that was visible for miles.

Authorities said the aircraft was assigned to the 412th Test Wing at Edwards, a major U.S. flight-testing facility. The mission was linked to a radar modernisation programme, and the cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Officials described the crew as a “mixed team” consisting of military personnel, civilian government staff, and contractors. Aerospace company Boeing confirmed that two of its employees were among those killed.

Air Force officials said the victims’ identities have not yet been released as families are being notified. The crash site was described as a large, scorched area of desert terrain, with emergency crews responding to the smouldering wreckage. No major intact sections of the aircraft were immediately visible in early footage.

Because of damage to the runway, operations at Edwards Air Force Base have been temporarily suspended at least through Tuesday, though wider Air Force activity elsewhere is unaffected.

Edwards, one of the most important U.S. test bases established in the 1930s, has hosted landmark aviation milestones including early supersonic flight tests and space shuttle landings.

The B-52 Stratofortress, a long-range bomber capable of carrying nuclear and conventional weapons over intercontinental distances, has long served as a core element of the U.S. strategic bomber fleet. It can carry up to tens of thousands of pounds of ordnance and operate at very high altitudes over long ranges without refuelling.

Monday’s accident is the first crash involving a B-52 since 2016, when a similar aircraft went down on Guam, though that incident did not result in fatalities.

Officials said the investigation into the California crash is ongoing.