Eight presumed dead after B-52 crash at California base

A Boeing B-52 Stratofortress on a routine test flight crashed at about 11:20 a.m. on Monday at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert, killing all eight people on board, officials said. The aircraft was conducting a radar-modernisation test and went down shortly after leaving the runway, leaving little of the plane intact and a plume of black smoke over the desert.

The eight victims included military personnel, government employees and civilian contractors. Deputy commander James Hayes said the names would be released after families are notified. > "Right now our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those that lost their loved ones," Hayes told reporters.

Edwards Base, which is about 100 miles north of Los Angeles, closed its airfield for the afternoon and diverted inbound traffic while emergency responders worked at the scene. Visitor passes were suspended to allow focus on the response.

The Air Force has not yet disclosed the cause of the accident. A safety review will be conducted and forwarded to an accident investigation board, a process that could take up to six months, Hayes added.

Aviation safety analyst Jeff Guzzetti, a former FAA and NTSB investigator, said a flight-control malfunction is a likely factor, noting the aircraft failed to gain altitude and distance before impact. He cautioned that the exact cause remains uncertain, citing possible engine failure, mis-rigged controls after maintenance, or a problem with the test equipment. "I think it was definitely a controllability issue," Guzzetti said.