B-52 bomber crashes at US Air Force base in California

Eight people aboard a B-52 bomber that crashed shortly after takeoff on Monday (June 15, 2026) morning at a U.S. Air Force base in Southern California’s Mojave Desert are believed to be dead, according to the Air Force.

“Initial indications are that the crash was not survivable,” Edwards Air Force Base, north of Los Angeles, posted on social media. The cause of the crash is under investigation, officials said.

There was no information yet on the crew; aerial footage showed virtually nothing left of an aircraft.

Emergency crews responded after the aircraft went down around 11:20 a.m. Black smoke rose from a large swath of charred desert at Edwards Air Force Base near what appeared to be a runway, with emergency vehicles nearby. The military hasn’t said whether the bomber was armed.

The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range bomber that entered service in 1955. Designed to carry both conventional and nuclear weapons, it has been used in conflicts involving the US military from Vietnam to Iran.