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HANDOUT – Plumes of smoke rise from a B-52 bomber that crashed shortly after takeoff at a U.S. Air Force base in Southern California. Photo: Uncredited/Debbie Reyes Katz/AP/dpa – ATTENTION: For editorial use only until June 30, 2026, and only with full attribution of the above credit
Keystone
All eight crew members were killed when a B-52 bomber crashed in the U.S. The accident occurred shortly after the long-range bomber took off, according to Edwards Air Force Base in California. Rescue crews were on the scene immediately.
“This is a terrible tragedy in which we have lost eight great Americans,” said Colonel James Hayes at a press conference. The families of the victims are currently being notified. Only after that will he be able to provide further details about those killed. According to aircraft manufacturer Boeing, two of the victims were employees of the U.S. company.
According to Hayes, a new radar system was to be tested during the flight late Monday morning (local time). The aircraft reportedly took off, crashed immediately afterward, and burst into flames. “At this time, we have no indication of what caused this,” Hayes said. A commission will investigate the case. Afterward, a decision will be made regarding what information may be released to the public.
The Boeing B-52 aircraft are long-range bombers of the U.S. Air Force, also known as “Stratofortresses” (roughly translated as “fortress in the stratosphere”). Normally, they have five crew members on board. They are capable of dropping both conventional explosives and nuclear bombs.
Edwards Air Force Base is located a good 100 kilometers north of Los Angeles in the Mojave Desert. Among other things, it serves as a testing ground for the military. In the past, the U.S. has tested stealth drones and jets capable of six times the speed of sound from there.
California Governor Gavin Newsom expressed his sympathy to the victims, families, and staff. He said he was “grateful to all first responders and rescue workers currently on the scene.”
For more than 60 years, the B-52s have formed the backbone of the U.S. bomber fleet. They serve as a nuclear deterrent, but have also been deployed repeatedly in the Iran War in recent years. One reason for this is that they can also drop particularly heavy, bunker-busting bombs.
As early as 2016, a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber crashed on the Pacific island of Guam. The aircraft aborted takeoff at high speed, veered off the runway, and burst into flames. Of the seven people on board, one was slightly injured.
An accident in 1966 had far more devastating consequences when a B-52 bomber collided with a tanker aircraft in Spain. Both aircraft crashed near the town of Palomares. The nuclear bombs on board the B-52—with many times the explosive power of the Hiroshima bomb—did not detonate. However, two of them burst open upon impact with the ground, releasing radioactive plutonium. Seven of the eleven crew members from both aircraft were killed.
16.06.2026, 04:43
