Eight crew members were killed on Monday when their B-52 Stratofortress nuclear-capable bomber crashed on a California runway during a routine test.
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The crash took place at approximately 11:20 a.m. shortly after the strategic bomber took off from Edwards Air Force Base in California. The initial report, released around 3:00 p.m., contained few details other than to explain that emergency crews were on the scene.
Video then began circulating of the smoldering crash site, and a follow-up release from the air force base informed the public that the plane was on a routine test mission.
Eight crew members were aboard, and initial assessments, later confirmed, determined that the crash was not survivable.
“From the AFMC Commander: It is with great sadness that we can confirm the tragic death of eight of our teammates today at Edwards AFB following the crash of a B-52 Stratofortress. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones,” said the U.S. Air Force Material Command on X.
Boeing, the manufacturer of the plane, also issued a statement saying that two Boeing employees were among the eight crew members killed in the crash.
It is not yet clear what caused the crash.
Flaps not set for takeoff position. BUFF has 8 engines. One failure wouldn’t be a problem. Flaps up rather than set properly would cause stall once above “ground effect.”
Bob, hard to believe that the crew would have missed having flaps set for takeoff as before taking the runway they do a pre takeoff checklist. Also, it seems to me during the roll they would have noticed the higher rotation speed needed to lift off and have aborted the take off. That’s a long runway at Edwards. I guess it’s possible but what are the odds? What makes you think that the flap setting was a factor? If they had enough speed and low angle of attack they wouldn’t necessarily have stalled. Thoughts?