Eight dead after US bomber crashes on training mission

Eight people are dead after a nuclear-capable US Air Force B-52 strategic bomber crashed shortly after take-off in California.

The aircraft was on a routine test mission when it took off from Edwards Air Force Base at 11.20am Monday local time (4.20am Tuesday AEST), north-east of Los Angeles.

Emergency crews responded immediately to the crash involving the bomber, which left a towering black plume in its wake, the base said.

“Emergency crews immediately responded to the scene and the situation is ongoing,” the base wrote on X.

In a more recent statement, the base said eight people were on board and that “the crash was not survivable”.

It is now considered a recovery operation.

Teams are working to notify families about the deaths, Chief Master Sergeant Joshua T. Skarloken said.

The crew was a mix of military officials, government civilians and government contractors, Skarloken said.

B-52 is elder statesman of US aircraft

The B-52 is one of the Air Force’s oldest aircraft, first entering service in 1955.

The long-range heavy bomber, which typically carries a crew of five, can carry as much as 70,000 pounds (31.7 tons) of bombs and other munitions.

The currently flown version, the B-52H, still plays a major role in the Air Force’s arsenal, which includes 76 of the aircraft.

It was used in bombing missions during the current conflict between the US and Iran.

The B-52H can also carry nuclear bombs and nuclear-armed cruise missiles.

The crash is the deadliest involving a B-52 bomber since 1982.

In that crash, nine crew members died in test training at the Mather Air Force Base near Sacramento, the Associated Press reported at the time.

- Reported with AP, CNN