B-52 Bomber Crashes at California Air Force Base
Aircraft went down around 11:20 a.m. Monday at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert. No immediate word on injuries.
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A B-52 Stratofortress crashed shortly after takeoff Monday morning at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California's Mojave Desert, the U.S. military said.
Emergency crews responded after the aircraft went down around 11:20 a.m. A massive plume of black smoke rose from the desert. There was no immediate information on whether anyone was hurt.
The Boeing B-52, typically crewed by five people, is a long-range bomber that entered service in 1955 and has been used in conflicts ranging from the Vietnam War to recent Middle East operations. Edwards, located about 100 miles north of Los Angeles, is the vast desert base where Chuck Yeager broke the speed of sound in 1947.
The crash comes almost a year after a regional airliner flying over North Dakota made an unexpected sharp turn to avoid a possible midair collision with a military B-52 bomber.