B-52 Bomber Crashes Near Los Angeles
Eight crew members, including two of Boeing’s engineers, lost their lives when a U.S. Air Force B‑52 Stratofortress took off from Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert and exploded on the runway.
The jet burst into a huge plume of black smoke that could be seen for miles, marking a tragedy that the base called “insurvivable.” No cause has been found yet; investigators will need at least a month to determine what happened.
Edwards Air Force Base has temporarily grounded all flights and diverted all incoming aircraft to focus on emergency response. Governor
Gavin Newsom and several members of Congress have issued statements of condolence.
The B‑52, nicknamed “The Buff,” has been a mainstay of the U.S. military since the 1950s. With its 70,000‑lb payload and ability to refuel mid‑flight, it can carry dozens of conventional bombs and nuclear missiles.
A crew of five—including a commander, pilot, radar navigator, navigator, and electronic warfare officer—inside the massive aircraft were all lost in the crash.
The investigation is still underway, so no final conclusions will be released until after about a month, and deeper analysis could take over six months.
