The service says the crash appears “not survivable”; Edwards AFB’s airfield is closed.
A US Air Force (USAF) Boeing B-52 bomber has crashed after taking off from Edwards AFB in California on 15 June, with video showing aircraft’s wreckage strewn across a swath of charred ground.
“A United States Air Force B-52 Stratofortress crashed shortly after take-off on the Edwards airfield at 11:20 [local]”, the service confirms.
“Emergency crews immediately responded to the scene and the situation is ongoing. More information will be provided as it becomes available.”
The USAF says eight crew were aboard the jet, adding: “Initial indications are that the crash was not survivable”. Boeing separately confirms two of the eight crew were its employees.
Edwards AFB has since closed its airfield “to focus entirely on emergency response operations”, the base says in a post on social media site X.
Located in the Mojave Desert about 55 miles (89km) north of Los Angeles, Edwards is home to the USAF’s 412th Test Wing, which oversees flight testing of aircraft, aircraft systems and weapons.
The service has conducted numerous evaluations of the Stratofortress at Edwards in recent years. In December 2025, an example arrived at the base as part of the USAF’s B-52 Radar Modernization Program.
Edwards is also central to the USAF’s B-52J Commercial Engine Replacement Program, an effort to replace the jet’s Pratt & Whitney TF33 engines with new and more efficient Rolls-Royce low-bypass F130 turbofans. Flight testing of those engines is intended to take place at Edwards.
The USAF’s B-52 fleet recently stood at 72 aircraft, according to FlightGlobal’s 2025 World Air Forces directory. Jets are based at Barksdale AFB in Louisiana and Minot AFB in North Dakota.
This story has been updated with additional information from Boeing.
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