A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress 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 crew members aboard were killed, in a statement released Monday.
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."
Edwards officials held a news conference Monday and said the crash occurred in Kern County, California.
Aerial video of the crash scene showed a charred, smouldering patch of desert roughly the size of a football field; an emergency vehicle was seen driving along the site's perimeter and a huge plume of black smoke could be seen for miles.
Officials said the bomber was on a routine test mission when it went down, and Air Force Col. James Hayes told reporters the flight was supporting a "radar modernization program."
Edwards Air Force Base serves as the Air Force's premier flight-test center, where aircraft are routinely used to evaluate new technologies and modifications before they are fielded across the broader fleet.
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.
Officials said they are investigating the crash. Col. Hayes said an initial gathering of facts can take up to 30 days, after which an accident investigation board will review the crash, and it can take six months before information is gathered and released to next of kin and the public.
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 said investigators will focus on aircraft controllability and possible engine failure because departing the runway and climbing is a critical moment of flight. "A new radar system shouldn't really affect the ability of the airplane to take off safely," Green said, and he added that investigators are expected to analyze physical evidence recovered from the crash site, maintenance records and any available flight data and cockpit recordings, saying the wreckage itself will "tell the story."
Boeing said two of its employees were among the eight killed in the crash.
One of the eight killed was identified by his wife as Jeromy Smith, whom she said had recently welcomed a new son. Lauren Smith said Jeromy was a civilian flight test engineer for the Department of Defense who worked on projects at Edwards Air Force Base for 10 years and had received the Aerial Achievement Medal for flying medium- to high-risk sorties. The Smiths have two children, Fletcher, 2, and Fallon, who was born four months ago, Lauren Smith said. She said the flight had originally been scheduled for Friday but had been pushed back, and she told reporters she believed the plane "wasn't ready to take off." Lauren Smith said she learned of the crash when people from his work showed up at her door at 6 p.m. Monday and that the last text she sent her husband was "I love you." The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Two victims have been identified as Lt. Col. Miles Middleton and Jeromy Smith.
Data showed the B-52 plunged at nearly a mile a minute before crashing, officials said.
Flight-tracking data shows the B-52 took a sharp turn before crashing.
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.