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LOS ANGELES: All eight crew members were killed when a US air force B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed on takeoff in California’s Mojave desert on Monday (partly reported in Tuesday issue).
The eight-engine, jet-powered aircraft, built to carry a wide array of nuclear and conventional bombs, was on a routine test mission when it crashed on the runway at Edwards air force base just after leaving the ground, Colonel James Hayes said at a press conference hours later.
A towering pall of black smoke billowing from the crash site was visible for miles immediately after the accident.
He said the “mixed crew” aboard the aircraft consisted of government civilians, government contractors and uniformed military personnel.
