Eight crew members are believed dead after an Air Force B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base in California on Monday.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene after the aircraft went down around 11:20 a.m. local time during what officials described as a "routine test mission."
"An Air Force B-52 Stratofortress carrying eight people on a routine test mission crashed today shortly after takeoff at 11:20 a.m. (PDT)," Edwards Air Force Base said in a social media statement. "Initial indications are that the crash was not survivable."
Edwards Air Force Base did not immediately respond to a request for comments.
Images from the crash showed a large plume of black smoke rising from the base.
Edwards Air Force Base posted on X that it has closed operations and diverted incoming aircraft as of 12:48 p.m. local time.
Edwards Air Force Base is home to some of the military's most advanced flight-testing programs, including the Air Force Test Center and Test Pilot School. The 480 square-mile base in Kern County was where pilot Chuck Yeager broke the speed of sound in 1947.
In a separate statement on Monday evening, Boeing said two of its employees were on board the aircraft when the B-52 crashed.
"We are in contact with their families and are offering support," the firm said.
The Boeing-made B-52 Stratofortress first entered service in the 1950s and remains a key part of the Air Force's bomber fleet. The aircraft has been used in conflicts in the Middle East, including recently against Iran.
The US maintains an active fleet of 72 of these heavy, long-range bombers. The workhorse strike aircraft for the Air Force, they can refuel mid-flight and thus can deliver a maximum payload of 70,000 pounds practically anywhere in the world.
The warplane has also long been a pillar of the US nuclear umbrella, with some versions capable of carrying up to 32 nuclear cruise missiles at a time.
The Air Force plans to keep flying the B-52 until 2050. To that end, it's been upgrading the fleet, including replacing the aircraft's aging engines.
