A B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff at a US Air Force base in Southern California’s Mojave Desert, killing all eight people aboard last night.
The US military on a social platform stated that emergency crews were responding after the aircraft went down around 11:20 am local time at Edwards Air Force Base. Aerial footage showed a plume of black smoke rising from the desert near the runway on the base.
The airfield was closed, and all inbound aircraft were being diverted. Meanwhile, all non-commercial visitor passes for the base were suspended to allow the installation to focus entirely on emergency response operations. It is not immediately clear what caused the crash.
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range bomber that entered service in 1955. It is designed to carry both conventional and nuclear weapons. Edwards Air Force Base is home to a large portion of the US Air Force’s aircraft test and development efforts.