The crew of eight — including military personnel, government employees, and contractors — died when the strategic bomber went down during a routine radar-system upgrade test flight, according to media reports. The circumstances remain under investigation.
All eight crew members aboard the US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress that crashed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, have been confirmed dead. The bomber went down during a routine test flight intended to support a radar-system upgrade program, according to i24NEWS. Among the deceased were military personnel, government civilian employees, and private contractors. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
This update extends The Zioneer's live coverage of the incident. The first bulletin at 22:57 Jerusalem on Monday reported the crash shortly after takeoff and noted that the crew's status was unknown. By 01:16 Tuesday morning, officials had confirmed all eight fatalities — a finding later refined at 03:22 Jerusalem with an article quoting official confirmation, and at 08:47 Jerusalem with a US media dispatch identifying Boeing employees, military personnel and government officials among the victims across multiple sources. The present bulletin adds the specific operational context of radar-system testing as reported by a new source.
As The Zioneer reported previously, the Pentagon confirmed the loss of the aircraft shortly after Monday evening's crash. Heavy smoke from the wreckage was documented by US media and on social networks. The investigation into the accident's cause remains ongoing; no official preliminary findings have been released.
3 developments
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- StrongEight US strategic bombers land in Middle East from UK and Germany bases overnight
- StrongPilot in stable condition after F-35B crash at Marine Corps base near San Diego
Source and signal
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