US Air Force B-52 bomber crashes in California, killing all 8 crew

A U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber crashed on January 15th shortly after taking off from Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California, resulting in the deaths of all eight crew members aboard. The incident occurred in the Mojave Desert, approximately 160 kilometers north of Los Angeles.

Aerial footage showed a large, scorched area roughly the size of a football field, with smoke still rising from the ground. Emergency vehicles were observed around the crash site, but no large aircraft wreckage was immediately visible. The base confirmed that the bomber was on a routine test mission when it went down.

This tragic accident marks the first crash of a B-52 bomber since May 2016, when another aircraft went down in Guam. In that previous incident, all seven crew members survived. The B-52 Stratofortress, designed and manufactured by Boeing, has been in service since the 1950s and has been deployed in various conflicts, including Vietnam and the Persian Gulf.

The U.S. Air Force stated that emergency response teams were dispatched to the scene and are working to confirm the status of all personnel. The investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.