B-52 Bomber Crashes Near Edwards Air Force Base in California
Quick Look
- A B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Monday.
- Footage showed a charred runway with smoke billowing.
- The airfield was closed, and visitor passes suspended.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
A B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The base was closed to inbound aircraft, and visitor passes were suspended.
A B-52 bomber has crashed near Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Horrific footage of the scene showed a charred runway at the military base in Kern County with smoke still billowing by Monday afternoon.
Edwards Air Force Base, known for flight testing, announced on social media that a B-52 Stratofortress had crashed shortly after takeoff at 11:20 a.m. local time.
“Emergency crews immediately responded to the scene and the situation is ongoing,” the military base wrote.
The Edwards airfield, where the jet crashed, was closed Monday afternoon with all inbound aircraft diverted, the air base said in an update.
“All non-commercial visitor passes have been suspended until further notice to allow the installation to focus entirely on emergency response operations,” according to the military base.
The B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, heavy bomber that can fly at “high subsonic speeds” up to 50,000 feet in the air, according to the Air Force.
The bomber can carry nuclear or precision-guided weapons.
B-52 bombers are usually operated by a five-person crew, including two pilots, a navigator, a radar navigator and an electronic warfare officer, according to reports.
It’s unclear how many people were aboard the B-52 bomber when it crashed at the Edwards airfield. Officials have yet to release details about any deaths or injuries.
“For more than 60 years, B-52s have been the backbone of the strategic bomber force for the United States,” the Air Force writes on its website.
B-52 bombers delivered 40 percent of all weapons dropped by coalition forces during Desert Storm, the combat phase of the U.S.-led Gulf War against Iraq in the early 1990s.
The jets have also been deployed in support of President Donald Trump’s war with Iran, which began at the end of February. Trump claimed on Monday that a peace deal with Tehran is “all signed.”
Representative Vince Fong, who serves the community affected by Monday’s crash, wrote on X, “Please join me in praying for the B-52 crew at Edwards Air Force Base and the entire Edwards community.”
This is a developing story...
Open Questions
- How many people were aboard the bomber?
- Were there any deaths or injuries?
