The U.S. military on Wednesday identified the eight men killed in a B-52 Stratofortress bomber that crashed shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base at 11:20 a.m., and military officials said the crash was "unsurvivable" and that all eight aboard were killed.
Edwards Air Force Base said, "Emergency crews immediately responded to the scene and the situation is ongoing. More information will be provided as it becomes available." Officials held a news conference Monday and said the crash occurred in Kern County, California, and aerial video of the crash scene showed a charred, smouldering patch of desert roughly the size of a football field and a huge plume of black smoke that could be seen for miles.
The base released the names of the eight deceased as Col. Gregory Watson, 53; Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella, 40; Maj. Alexander Davis, 34; Maj. Robert Dee, 40; Maj. Brad Hovey, 35; Jeremy Smith, 32; Christopher Rischar, 41; and retired Lt. Col. Miles Middleton, 50. The list includes military personnel, Boeing employees and government civilians, and the victims were serving together as part of a combined test effort.
One of the eight had been identified by his wife as Jeromy Smith, whom she said had recently welcomed a new son; Lauren Smith said Jeromy had worked at Edwards Air Force Base for 10 years, had two children and that she learned of the crash when people from his work showed up at her door. Two victims had previously been identified as Lt. Col. Miles Middleton and Jeromy Smith.
"It is with profound sorrow and a heavy heart that I can now share the names of the eight extraordinary Americans we lost during Monday's B-52 crash," Col. Thomas Tauer, 412th Test Wing commander, said in a news release identifying the deceased.
The group was acting as a Combined Test Force, or CTF, a construct in which active-duty airmen work with military contractors and government civilians to complete specific projects, and as standard practice the military makes public identifications 24 hours after next of kin have been notified.
The airfield will remain closed until at least Thursday and flight test operations are expected to resume early next week, the base said, and the test wing has stood up an Emergency Family Assistance Center to provide mental health services, childcare assistance, legal counsel and chaplain support for anyone at Edwards Air Force Base.
Officials said the bomber was on a routine test mission for the Air Force's Radar Modernization Program when it took off around 11:20 a.m., and the plane crashed on the runway shortly after taking off and burst into flames. The Radar Modernization Program is meant to upgrade B-52 bombers so the planes can continue flying into the 2050s and the U.S. military is paying nearly $50 billion to upgrade those planes.
The Air Force is pursuing a modernization of the B-52 that includes plans to equip the bombers with Rolls-Royce F130 engines, upgraded avionics and a modern active electronically scanned array radar, and the crash removed one of just 76 B-52s remaining in the Air Force inventory.
The eight-engine, jet-powered Boeing aircraft is built to carry nuclear and conventional bombs. B-52s typically carry a crew of five — an aircraft commander, pilot, radar navigator, navigator and electronic warfare officer — and the Stratofortress, nicknamed "the Buff," has been used since 1955 and is capable of flying up to 50,000 feet, carrying a 70,000-pound payload and refueling in mid-air, Air Force Global Strike Command said.
Col. James Hayes, the deputy commander for the 412th Test Wing, described the crash as "unsurvivable," and data showed the B-52 plunged at nearly a mile a minute before crashing, with flight-tracking data showing the aircraft took a sharp turn before impact.
Aviation attorney and Marine helicopter pilot veteran Justin Green said the fact that the aircraft went down moments after takeoff is likely to shape the early stages of the investigation, and he said investigators will focus on aircraft controllability and possible engine failure and will analyze physical evidence from the crash site, maintenance records and any available flight data and cockpit recordings.
The Air Force is investigating the crash and said an Accident Investigation Board will examine the incident; Col. Hayes said an initial gathering of facts can take up to 30 days, after which the board will review the crash and it can take six months before information is gathered and released to next of kin and the public.
Air Force Global Strike Command encouraged members of the command to look after each other in a social media post, saying, "Please take the time to check in on your wingmen. Grief affects us all differently, and there is absolute strength in asking for help when you need it."
The crew included military personnel, government civilians and contractors, and the involvement of contractors and Boeing employees on the flight could raise legal questions because military personnel generally cannot sue the federal government over injuries or deaths that occur in the course of military service under the Feres doctrine, while contractors are not subject to the same restriction though potential claims could face significant hurdles depending on the circumstances of the crash.