Terrible news out of California:
The LA Times reports:
All eight people who were on a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber that crashed at Edwards Air Force Base in California on Monday are presumed dead, officials said.
...
News of a crash began to circulate on social media Monday morning after a huge plume of smoke appeared to be rising from the remote Air Force base, visible from pockets of the high desert in northern Los Angeles County.
The Air Force base initially confirmed only that a B-52 Stratofortress crashed 'shortly after takeoff' at the base's airfield at 11:20 a.m.
A massive smoke column was visible for miles after the incident:
On Tuesday, Boeing confirmed that two of its employees were on the flight. The Air Force does not currently know the reason for the crash.
The B-52 is an iconic American aircraft, to say the least. More than 700 were manufactured between 1952 and 1962. They are so reliable and efficient that they are still in use over 60 years later.
The Air Force describes it as "a long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions," one that is "capable of flying at high subsonic speeds at altitudes up to 50,000 feet" and which can "carry nuclear or precision guided conventional ordnance with worldwide precision navigation capability."
There was almost nothing left of the craft after the crash and fire:
Some folks noted the visibility of the incident on flight radar:
Military officials said the crash was "deemed to be unsurvivable." 😔
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