Overview
- The B-52 Stratofortress crashed shortly after takeoff during a routine Radar Modernization Program test at Edwards Air Force Base, which crashed Monday and killed all eight people aboard.
- The crew included pilots, flight-test engineers, members of the 419th Flight Test Squadron and two Boeing contractors, and the Air Force has publicly identified the eight victims.
- An Interim Safety Investigation Board is probing the accident and is scheduled to hand the case to a Safety Investigation Board this weekend while teams recover wreckage and onboard data; military probes are handled internally rather than by the NTSB and may not be fully public.
- The aircraft was serial number 60-0061, nicknamed Spirit of Aggieland II, and had been serving as a testbed for the AN/APQ-188 radar upgrade, so its loss removes a critical validation asset and could slow program testing.
- The crash reopens questions about sustaining 76 B-52H airframes through midcentury, and investigators may order inspections or changes to the Radar Modernization and re-engining efforts with potential effects on schedules and future force plans including the B-21 transition.