{"id":2743,"date":"2026-06-19T05:05:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T05:05:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2743"},"modified":"2026-06-19T05:05:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T05:05:25","slug":"military-identifies-8-killed-in-b-52-crash-at-californias-edwards-air-force-base","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2743","title":{"rendered":"Military identifies 8 killed in B-52 crash at California's Edwards Air Force Base"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Air Force on Wednesday publicly identified the eight people killed in Monday\u2019s fatal B-52 crash at Edwards Air Force Base, revealing that the test flight crew included active-duty Air Force officers, flight test engineers, a government civilian and defense contractors working on a major modernization program for the bomber.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThey were dedicated professionals, beloved family members and irreplaceable teammates,\u201d Col. Thomas Tauer, commander of the 412th Test Wing, said in a statement announcing the victims. \u201cOur thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathies are with their families, loved ones and fellow Airmen, Air Force civilians and mission partners affected by this tragedy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The victims were:<\/p>\n

The B-52 Stratofortress crashed shortly after takeoff<\/a> from Edwards about 11:20 a.m. Monday during what the Air Force described as a routine developmental test mission supporting the B-52 Radar Modernization Program, a key effort to upgrade the bomber\u2019s radar as part of a broader modernization of the Air Force\u2019s long-range bomber fleet.<\/p>\n

The cause of the crash has not been identified and the Air Force said an interim safety investigation board has begun probing the crash, a process officials said could take as long as six months before initial findings are released.<\/p>\n

The aircraft was flown by a Combined Test Force, a team of active-duty Air Force personnel, government civilians and defense contractors assigned to the 419th Flight Test Squadron who work together on developmental flight testing. Officials said several of the eight people aboard were flight test engineers, whose role was to monitor and evaluate aircraft performance during test missions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese airmen were more than coworkers. They were friends, mentors, teammates and valued members of our Edwards and Air Force family,\u201d Tauer said. \u201cOur immediate focus is supporting the families of the teammates we lost and ensuring that all appropriate resources are available to them during this time of unimaginable loss.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 412th Test Wing has activated its Emergency Family Assistance Center to provide mental health services, child care assistance, legal support and chaplain services to affected families and members of the Edwards community.<\/p>\n

Air Force Global Strike Command, which oversees the nation\u2019s B-52 and B-1 bomber fleets, told airmen across the command that the deaths were a reminder of the risks involved in maintaining the nation\u2019s strategic deterrent.<\/p>\n

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\u201cEvery day, we ask our Airmen to underwrite the security of our nation,\u201d commander Gen. Stephen L. Davis and Command Chief Master Sgt. Shawn M. Aiello wrote in a joint message. \u201cThe strategic deterrence we provide is the bedrock of our national defense, but we are reminded today that this vital mission carries inherent and sobering risks.\u201d<\/p>\n

The base\u2019s airfield is expected to stay closed through at least Thursday while crews continue cleanup operations. Flight test operations are expected to resume early next week, officials said.<\/p>\n

Gov. Gavin Newsom and acting governor Senate President pro Tem Monique Lim\u00f3n, D-Santa Barbara, on Wednesday ordered flags at the state Capitol and Capitol Annex Swing Space flown at half-staff in honor of the eight people killed in the crash.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe join the country in mourning the loss of these eight brave Americans,\u201d the two said in a joint statement. \u201cTheir service, dedication, and commitment to our nation\u2019s defense will not be forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n

The B-52 Stratofortress, first flown in 1955, has served as the backbone of the nation\u2019s strategic bomber fleet for decades and is undergoing extensive upgrades designed to keep the aircraft in service for years to come.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 1:11 PM<\/span> with the headline “Military identifies 8 killed in B-52 crash at California’s Edwards Air Force Base.” <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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The Air Force identified the eight people killed in the Edwards Air Force Base B-52 crash as investigators continued examining the fatal test flight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2742,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nMilitary identifies 8 killed in B-52 crash at California's Edwards Air Force Base - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2743\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Military identifies 8 killed in B-52 crash at California's Edwards Air Force Base - Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Air Force identified the eight people killed in the Edwards Air Force Base B-52 crash as investigators continued examining the fatal test flight.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=2743\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-19T05:05:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2743#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2743\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\"},\"headline\":\"Military identifies 8 killed in B-52 crash at California's Edwards Air Force Base\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-19T05:05:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2743\"},\"wordCount\":657,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2743#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/aedf84ee49a7968ab80f2b10aa9cc4d5.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Read today's Edition\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2743#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2743\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2743\",\"name\":\"Military identifies 8 killed in B-52 crash at California's Edwards Air Force Base - Durham Moving Hub\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2743#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2743#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/aedf84ee49a7968ab80f2b10aa9cc4d5.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-19T05:05:25+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1f081e7f06a3ab66052e5f6015fd85\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2743#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2743\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/?p=2743#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/aedf84ee49a7968ab80f2b10aa9cc4d5.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/durhammovinghub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/aedf84ee49a7968ab80f2b10aa9cc4d5.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675,\"caption\":\"The eight victims of a B-52 crash at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on Monday, June 15, 2026, are (from left to right, top row) Col.-select Gregory Watson, 53; Lt. 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