Eight people died when a B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert, about 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles. The aircraft went down during a test flight on Monday with no survivors.
The bomber took off from the California base and made a sharp right turn followed by a near 180-degree turn before plummeting to another runway at a rate of about 5,056 feet per minute, nearly 10 times faster than a typical landing descent. The crash resulted in a fiery explosion that sent thick plumes of smoke across the base.
Those killed included Boeing employees, government workers, military personnel and civilian contractors. Their identities have been released by the Air Force. Among the victims was an engineer marking his wedding anniversary and an Iowa native. One victim was described by his wife as "a leader, he's a hero."
The aircraft was supporting a radar modernization program. In 2025, Boeing delivered a B-52 to Edwards equipped with a modernized radar system designed to keep the bomber operational through at least 2050, nearly a century after it first entered service.
Investigators believe a flight control malfunction likely caused the crash. According to aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti, who previously worked for the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board, "I think it was definitely a controllability issue. Now, whether that was tied to an engine failure, a flight control failure, or some new testing device failure, I'm not sure."
Guzzetti suggested the controls could have been rigged incorrectly after maintenance, or the crash could have resulted from a catastrophic engine problem or failure of equipment being tested. The investigation into the accident could take up to six months to complete, officials said.
Crews worked to make the crash site safe for search and recovery teams after fires flared up overnight. The airfield remained closed on Tuesday.
Edwards Air Force Base has served as a testing and development facility for military aircraft since World War II. The 412th Test Wing runs the base and conducts developmental testing of all Air Force aircraft, weapons systems, software and components before the service purchases them and throughout their operational lifespans.
The crash marks one of several recent fatal military aviation accidents. In 2024, an instructor pilot died when an ejection seat activated while the aircraft remained on the ground in Texas. Two Air Force pilots were killed when a trainer jet crashed near an Alabama airport in 2021. An Air Force ROTC cadet died in a 2022 accident involving a Humvee during a training exercise in Idaho.