Photographs posted on-line present a large plume of black smoke rising from Edwards Air Drive Base, earlier than the bottom confirmed an ongoing B-52H Stratofortress mishap.
A U.S. Air Drive B-52H Stratofortress bomber has crashed shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Drive Base, California, on June 15, 2026. The bottom confirmed the mishap on its social media channels after pictures appeared on-line exhibiting a large plume of black smoke rising from the placement.
The standing of the crew is at the moment unclear. The bottom stated that the emergency crews are at the moment on scene.
Right here is the total assertion by the service:
“A United States Air Drive B-52 Stratofortress crashed shortly after takeoff on the Edwards airfield at 11:20 a.m. Emergency crews instantly responded to the scene and the scenario is ongoing. Extra info will probably be offered because it turns into out there.”
Photographs of the mishap, apparently captured from throughout the base, first appeared on the favored ‘Air Drive amn/nco/snco’ web page on Fb. Though unconfirmed, the web page claimed the plane concerned is B-52 60-0061, the identical plane at the moment used to check the brand new AESA radar.
The smoke was seen additionally at a distance, fueled by the bomber’s full tanks at takeoff. In keeping with the service, the B-52H has a gas capability of 312,197 kilos (141,610 kilograms).
One thing blew up in Edward’s AF base @airforce @Breaking911 pic.twitter.com/aU3olZHL4q
— Richh (@RichhdaRuler) June 15, 2026
Replace 22:15 UTC
Edwards AFB has launched a brand new replace concerning the mishap, saying that the B-52 was flying with eight individuals on board. The bomber’s typical crew contains 5 individuals.
Whereas emergency providers are nonetheless on scene and dealing to account for all personnel, the assertion provides that “preliminary indications are that the crash was not survivable.” The causes of the incident are nonetheless unclear, and the service says it has already launched the investigation.
In the meantime, information shops launched pictures exhibiting the crash website. Emergency automobiles could be seen transferring close to the scattered wreckage to place out the fireplace.
BREAKING: A U.S. Air Drive B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Drive Base, triggering an emergency response.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene as thick black smoke billowed from the wreckage scattered throughout the desert airfield.
Extra particulars, together with… pic.twitter.com/JRx3R4ElJW
— Fox Information (@FoxNews) June 15, 2026
The airbase is at the moment closed, with all imbound site visitors diverted to different places, with a view to permit the set up to focus totally on emergency response operations.
Earlier crash
The one on Jun. 15, 2026, is the primary B-52 crash in 10 years.
The earlier occurred on Could 19, 2016, when a B-52H (tail quantity 60-0047) belonging to the 69th Bomb Squadron, fifth Bomb Wing, from Minot AFB, North Dakota, overran the top of the runway throughout an aborted take off at Andersen AFB, Guam. The plane crashed and burned however all of the 7 crew members managed to egress the airplane safely. The B-52 was deployed to Andersen from Minot AFB, North Dakota, as a part of the Washington’s steady bomber presence mission within the Pacific.
In keeping with the experiences, in the course of the takeoff process, the crew seen birds flying over the runway. Noticing indications that the 4 engines on the suitable wing had been shedding energy, the crew believed the plane had suffered chicken ingestion and initiated an aborted takeoff, bringing the engines again to idle, deploying the air brakes and activating the drag chute. Nevertheless, the parachute did not inflate accurately and, with solely 2,500 toes of runway remaining, the plane couldn’t be stopped. It overran the paved runway floor by 300 toes. The crew evacuated safely and had been handled for minor accidents, whereas the plane was utterly destroyed by fireplace, leading to a lack of $112 million (equal to about $167 million immediately).
“The Accident Investigation Board (AIB) President discovered by a preponderance of the proof the reason for the mishap was the MP [Mishap Pilot] analyzed visible chicken exercise and perceived cockpit indications as a lack of symmetric engine thrust required to securely attain flight and subsequently utilized abort procedures after S1 timing. The AIB President additionally discovered by a preponderance of the proof the next components considerably contributed to the mishap: drag chute failure on deployment and exceeding brake-energy limits leading to brake failure.”
It is a creating story, we’ll replace the article as extra particulars emerge.
