2026-06-15 Boeing B-52H Crash at Edwards AFB

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Does this really need it's own thread? Could just as well go into the B-52 thread or just not be posted at all (given that this is not particularly interesting)
 
EmoBirb said:
Does this really need it's own thread? Could just as well go into the B-52 thread or just not be posted at all (given that this is not particularly interesting)
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You do realise how incredible heartless you sound stating this is not particularly interesting. You could always try showing some empathy.
 
EmoBirb said:
Does this really need it's own thread? Could just as well go into the B-52 thread or just not be posted at all (given that this is not particularly interesting)
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Aside from sounding very callous B-52 crashes are exceedingly rare (IIRC the last one to crash was back in the mid 1990s) and this WILL be on tonight's six o'clock news here in New Zealand.
 
Flyaway said:
You do realise how incredible heartless you sound stating this is not particularly interesting. You could always try showing some empathy.
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My apologies, gawking at a deadly aviation accident and aiming to fill pages with moot speculation (because why else would there be a dedicated thread) rather than waiting for investigators to bring conclusion with proper results in due time is certainly far more empathetic.
 
CNN has put out a report about the crash:


A military aircraft crashed at a base north of Los Angeles Monday morning, Edwards Air Force Base said on social media.
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“A United States Air Force B-52 Stratofortress crashed shortly after takeoff on the Edwards airfield at 11:20 a.m.,” the base said on Facebook. “Emergency crews immediately responded to the scene and the situation is ongoing.
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”It is not immediately clear if there are any injuries. CNN has reached out to the base for more information.
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0:00 When during its flight the plane started having trouble
1:47 Were any parachutes deployed?
5:42 How long B-52s have been in service
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since the B-52 crashed shortly after takeoff it would've been carrying a full fuel-load.
 
zjz said:
https://www.twz.com/air/b-52-bomber-crashes-at-edwards-air-force-base-in-california
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From the TWZ article another bit of possible bad news:

News of the crash first emerged in a post on the unofficial Air Force amn/nco/snco Facebook group. That post said the aircraft in question was tail number 061, but this is currently unconfirmed. While its status is unclear, this particular B-52 was the first to receive a new AN/APQ-188 active electronically-scanned array (AESA) radar, which is one part of a much larger modernization effort for the entire fleet of these bombers.
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^, likewise. Thank you for your service, RIP.
 
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https://aviationweek.com/defense/aircraft-propulsion/b-52-crashes-after-takeoff-edwards-afb

"Images circulating on social media show a large black plume of smoke rising from wreckage on the base’s flight line. The base is the site of U.S. Air Force flight testing, and unconfirmed reports have said that the tail number of this B-52 is the same as one that recently arrived for testing a major upgrade of the bomber’s radar.

The bomber, tail number 60-061, arrived in December after having the Raytheon APQ-188 radar installed as part of the broader B-52J upgrade package that will include new engines. The 419th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards is conducting the flight tests of the new system."
 
zjz said:
The bomber, tail number 60-061, arrived in December after having the Raytheon APQ-188 radar installed as part of the broader B-52J upgrade package that will include new engines. The 419th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards is conducting the flight tests of the new system."
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I wonder how much of a setback for the B-52J programme this hull loss will be?
 
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NMaude said:
The crash will definitely setback the test-schedule for the B-52J programme.
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This also highlight something we are familiar with .... modern systems are so expensive and time-consuming to build and test, we can only afford "one golden set" for the purpose .... once this set is lost, more time and effort will be needed to recover from it ....
 
Something that was pointed out on the six o'clock news last night about the crash is just how thoroughly burned the crash site is, it's just one big black scorch-mark with very little recognisable wreckage. I suppose that isn't surprising given the aircraft crashed shortly after taking off with no doubt a full fuel-load, one thing for sure is that the forensic pathologists will have their work cut out for them trying to identify the bodies (Or what's left of them).​

On another note is there a general B-52 thread on this board?
 
zjz said:
This also highlight something we are familiar with .... modern systems are so expensive and time-consuming to build and test, we can only afford "one golden set" for the purpose .... once this set is lost, more time and effort will be needed to recover from it ....
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Pretty much been this way since the 50s. In the US anyway.
 
Sorry. It's from the 1983 epic The right stuff. When they bury one pilot killed trying to break the sound barrier.
 
https://aviationweek.com/defense/ai...-52-radar-upgrade-testing-still-modifications
DAYTON, Ohio—A replacement for the Boeing B-52H test aircraft lost on June 15 will not be available until late 2027, which is adding pressure to the already three-year-late Radar Modernization Program, U.S. Air Force officials told reporters here.

“Obviously, the crash was not in our original schedule, so we need to look at our schedule and adjust as necessary,” said Col. Timothy Spaulding, the program acquisition executive for Bombers.

The crashed B-52H, which killed all eight crewmembers and remains under investigation, was flying with a prototype of the RTX APQ-188 active, electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, which is the subject of the Radar Modernization Program (RMP).

The Air Force previously planned to operate two test aircraft equipped with the APQ-188, and the crashed B-52 had been the first. The second test aircraft remains in modification and is expected to join the RMP in flight testing later this year, Spaulding said.
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