Air Force officials have confirmed that eight people were killed Monday when a B-52 Stratofortress was involved in an accident shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
According to the 412th Test Wing, the aircraft was carrying eight people on a routine test mission when it went down on the Edwards airfield at 11:20 a.m. PDT. Col. James Hayes, deputy commander of the 412th Test Wing, said during a press conference Monday that the B-52 was supporting the radar modernization program on a local test sortie.
Hayes said the aircraft went down immediately after takeoff and caught fire. Officials said the accident site was contained to the runway area at Edwards, and the base later reopened access to visitors and personnel.
“Today, Edwards Air Force Base experienced a horrible tragedy and we lost eight great Americans,” Hayes said during the briefing. “This crash is deemed to be unsurvivable and right now our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those that lost their loved ones.”
Hayes said the crew included military personnel, government civilians and government contractors, though officials said further details would be released after next of kin notifications were completed. Boeing confirmed Monday that two of its employees were among those on board the aircraft. The company said it was in contact with their families and was offering support.
The cause of the accident has not been determined. Hayes said the Air Force will first stand up an interim safety board, followed by a safety investigation board and then an accident investigation board. The safety investigation board process is expected to take about 30 days, while the accident investigation process could take up to six months, according to Hayes.
Officials said there was no weaponry on board the aircraft. Edwards was standing down operations Tuesday as recovery work continued, though Hayes said the grounding applied to operations at Edwards and not the broader B-52 fleet.
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