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.
This incident was reported last night on Monday the 15th of June 2026.
In a message twitted in the social media, the US military stated that emergency crews were responding after the aircraft went down around 11:20 am local time at Edwards Air Force Base.
CCTV recorded footage along with some portions from the aerial photography 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 United States Air Force 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.
