Tragedy struck at Edwards Air Force base, as eight crewmembers are believed to be dead after a B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff from a base northeast of Los Angeles Monday morning.
Emergency crews responded immediately to the crash involving the B-52 Stratofortress, which left a towering black plume in its wake, the base said.The bomber was on a routine test mission that took off at 11:20 a.m. local time, officials said, and “initial indications are that the crash was not survivable.”…The base’s runway was left with a large blackened scar on the sandy runway, as well as some residual smoke, but it was difficult to make out any distinct parts of the wreckage, video from CNN affiliate KCAL shows.
In the wake of the incident, the airfield was closed and all inbound aircraft were being diverted.
Visitor passes were also being suspended for the day “to focus entirely on emergency response operations,” the update said.It wasn’t immediately clear what agencies were responding to the incident, but Edwards Air Force Base has its own fire department, with five fire stations located across the base….Edwards Air Force Base is located primarily in rural southeast Kern County, but part of the base stretches into east San Bernardino County and north L.A. County, not far from Lancaster.The B-52 Stratofortress is described by the military as a “long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions,” known as the “backbone of the manned strategic bomber force for the United States.”
Last year, there was a near miss incident.
Last year, a regional airliner pilot flying over North Dakota made an unexpected sharp turn to avoid a possible midair collision with a B-52 bomber that was in its flight path.Edwards Air Force Base, covering 480 square miles in Kern County, is used for research, development and testing of U.S. Air Force aircraft, weapons systems, software and components.The base was where famed pilot Chuck Yeager broke the speed of sound in 1947. It served as the West Coast base for dozens of NASA Space Shuttle landings and a testing ground for the now-retired orbiters. Atlantis was the last shuttle to land at Edwards AFB in 2009.
This sad loss at Edwards Air Force Base stands as a heavy reminder of the risks carried by those who defend our nation.
God bless the eight crew members who were dedicated to duty. Let us remember the quiet courage that too often goes unseen until it is gone.
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