An American B-52 Stratofortress heavy bomber crashed Monday June 15 in California shortly after takeoff. The US military announced that the eight passengers on the craft were all dead.
Eight people died this Monday, June 15, in the crash of an American B-52 Stratofortress heavy bomber, which crashed shortly after takeoff in California, the American army announced, referring to an accident offering “no chance of survival.”
“Edwards Air Force Base was the scene of a terrible tragedy, and we lost eight great Americans,” Colonel James Hayes said during a press briefing Monday evening.
The aircraft, which was carrying out a routine test flight with soldiers, government representatives and civilians on board, crashed shortly after takeoff at 11:20 a.m. (8:20 p.m. French time) in a huge ball of fire.
The plane “crashed almost immediately”
Manufacturer of the B-52, Boeing said in a press release that two of its employees were on board the aircraft.
Images filmed from a helicopter shortly after the accident showed a large charred area near the Edwards base, located about 95 kilometers north of Los Angeles, in a desert area.
“It took off and crashed almost immediately before bursting into flames,” Colonel Hayes said.
Despite the rapid intervention of the emergency services, the first findings established that the chances of survival were zero: “after examining the images of the crash, it was determined that it was a fatal accident, which offered no chance of survival”, noted the colonel.
No indication was immediately provided on the causes of the disaster. An investigation has been opened, the American army said in a press release.
An imposing bomber often deployed
Colonel Hayes said the identities of the victims would not be released until all families have been notified, an ongoing process that could continue throughout the day.
Following the accident, the air base closed its airfield and diverted all planes scheduled to land there, “in order to allow the installation to fully concentrate on emergency response operations,” it said in a statement.
The B-52 bomber has been in service with the US Air Force since the 1950s. With a long range of up to 14,160 kilometers, this imposing bomber is capable of carrying a wide variety of weapons, including nuclear warheads.
The aircraft is typically manned by a crew of five, a captain, a co-pilot, a radar navigator, a navigator and an electronic warfare officer, according to the US Air Force.
The United States has deployed it during conflicts in Vietnam, the Gulf, Iraq, Afghanistan and more recently in Iran.
