A US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed shortly after take-off from Edwards Air Force Base in California’s Mojave Desert, killing all eight people aboard, Reuters reported, citing Air Force officials.
The bomber was on a routine test mission when it crashed on Monday at around 11.20am local time, shortly after leaving the ground at the Edwards airfield in Southern California. The US Air Force said emergency crews responded immediately, while the cause of the crash is under investigation.
Air Force Colonel James Hayes said the aircraft was carrying a “mixed crew” of government civilians, contractors and uniformed military personnel. The flight was intended to support a radar modernisation programme.
Air Force officials had not immediately released the names of the victims, saying next of kin were still being notified.
Video footage of the crash site, about 161 kilometres north of Los Angeles, showed a large charred and smouldering area of desert floor, larger than a football field. Emergency vehicles were seen moving around the perimeter, but no large pieces of wreckage were clearly visible from a distance.
“After reviewing footage of the crash, it was deemed to be unrecoverable and unsurvivable,” Hayes said.
Because of damage to the runway, all operations at Edwards Air Force Base were grounded through at least Tuesday, although operations outside the base were not suspended.
