B-52 bomber crashes after takeoff at U.S. military base in Southern California

By — Associated Press Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/b-52-bomber-crashes-after-takeoff-at-u-s-military-base-in-southern-california Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter B-52 bomber crashes after takeoff at U.S. military base in Southern California Politics Jun 15, 2026 4:14 PM EDT EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) — A B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff Monday morning at a U.S. Air Force base in Southern California's Mojave Desert, officials said. Emergency crews were responding after the aircraft went down around 11:20 a.m. at Edwards Air Force Base, the military said on the social platform X. There was no immediate information on whether anyone was hurt. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Video from the scene showed a huge plume of black smoke rising from the desert. The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, typically crewed by five people, is a long-range bomber that entered service in 1955. Designed to carry both conventional and nuclear weapons, it has been used in conflicts ranging from the Vietnam War to recent operations in the Middle East. Edwards, the vast desert base where Chuck Yeager broke the speed of sound in 1947, is about 100 miles (161 km) north of Los Angeles. The crash comes almost a year after the pilot of a regional airliner flying over North Dakota made an unexpected sharp turn to avoid a possible midair collision with a military B-52 bomber that was in its flight path last July. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now