8 killed after B-52 crashes at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California
A B-52 bomber crashed Monday after taking off on a routine test mission from Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California, killing eight people, Air Force officials said.
The nuclear-capable aircraft, considered the “backbone” of the Air Force’s strategic bomber force,” crashed on the Edwards airfield soon after taking off at 11:20 a.m., officials from the Kern County base reported through a social media post. Eight people were killed in the crash, which officials said was “not survivable.”
“Emergency response personnel are on scene, and officials are working to account for all personnel,” base officials said in an update.
Officials said the airfield, which includes the world’s longest runway, was closed with inbound aircraft being diverted. Edwards officials also said in a social media post that visitor passes were being suspended for the day “to focus entirely on emergency response operations.”
While Edwards authorities declined to speculate Monday afternoon, a December release indicated that a B-52 Stratofortress had been successfully transferred to Edwards Air Force Base for testing after being equipped with the new Active Electronically Scanned Array, or AESA, radar system.
According to the December release, test teams were expected to conduct ground and flight tests on the revamped B-52 aircraft throughout 2026. The upgrade is part of the B-52 Radar Modernization Program — a critical component of a broader strategy that aims to extend the B-52’s service life through 2050. Officials declined to comment on whether the modernized B-52 was the aircraft that crashed Monday morning.
In video footage from Los Angeles TV stations, including KTLA, smoke could be seen rising from a debris-strewn area just off the runway, with few remnants of the aircraft visible from the station’s vantage point.
Built by Boeing, the eight-engine B-52 Stratofortress can carry a crew of up to five — a flight commander, a pilot, a radar navigator, an electronic warfare officer and a tail gunner. Air Force officials did not immediately identify the eight people killed or explain why there were more people aboard than the bomber’s standard crew complement.
The long-range bomber, which has flown regularly since 1955, is capable of carrying up to 35 tons of munitions and can fly more than 8,000 miles without aerial refueling. About 70 of the bombers remain in service with the Air Force, 50 of which are assigned to active-duty units based at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota.
Edwards Air Force Base — about 70 miles east of Bakersfield and 60 miles northeast of Los Angeles — is a major testing and training site for developmental U.S. Air Force aircraft and NASA flight-testing operations.
This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 1:35 PM with the headline "8 killed after B-52 crashes at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California."
