New Delhi: A United States Air Force B-52 Stratofortress – one of the most storied long-range bombers in military aviation history – crashed shortly after take-off at Edwards airbase in California on Monday morning. The accident sent a towering column of thick black smoke into the Mojave desert sky and triggered an emergency response that has closed the airfield to all traffic.
The aircraft went down at approximately 11.20am local time (11.50pm IST), shortly after lifting off from the base. The cause of the crash remains unknown. Officials have not confirmed how many crew members were aboard or whether there are any injuries.
The B-52 typically operates with a crew of five, comprising two pilots, a radar navigator, a navigator, and an electronic warfare officer. The bomber’s ejection seat configuration could have presented complications for the crew depending on how soon after take-off the incident occurred – the B-52 has crew positions that eject downward, not upward.
Aerial footage from the scene showed a large smoldering burn mark on the airfield, with emergency crews responding to what base officials described as an “ongoing” situation. A major plume of black smoke was reportedly visible for miles after the crash.
The Edwards Air Force Base is located in the western Mojave desert, approximately 100 miles (160km) northeast of Los Angeles. The airfield has been closed, and all inbound aircraft are being diverted. All non-commercial visitor passes have been suspended until further notice to allow the installation to focus entirely on emergency response operations.
The USAF and Nasa conduct test flights of new and developmental aircraft at Edwards, making it among the most operationally significant military installations in the US. Edwards is the US’s premier test base. A B-52 with an upgraded radar arrived there in December 2025 to begin testing the new system, one of several upgrades planned for the Stratofortress. It is unclear if Monday’s crash involved that aircraft.
The B-52 is one of the oldest aircraft in the UASF’s inventory, with the fleet’s average age exceeding 64 years. The service plans to keep flying the bombers until 2050.
Before Monday’s crash, the most recent fatal accident involving the aircraft was in 2008, when six USAF personnel were killed after their B-52 crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Guam while preparing for a parade flyover.
The Edwards airbase and Pentagon’s USAF headquarters declined to provide additional details beyond the initial announcement of the crash. The investigation is ongoing.