A B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff from a US Air Force base in the Mojave Desert in Southern California, USA. There is a possibility of death of eight people on board the plane in this accident. Edwards Air Force Base, north of Los Angeles, posted on social media that early indications suggest no survivors are expected to survive the crash. Officials said that the cause of the crash is being investigated.
No information has been received about the crew yet, but no trace of the plane was visible in the aerial footage. Emergency teams reached the spot after the plane fell at around 11:20 am on Monday. A large part of the desert near the runway at Edwards Air Force Base was burnt black and black smoke was rising from there. Emergency vehicles were present nearby. The army has not said whether the bomber was armed or not.
Boeing B-52 is a long range bomber.
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range bomber, which entered service in 1955. It is designed to carry both conventional and nuclear weapons and has been used in conflicts involving US forces from Vietnam to Iran. The airfield remained closed till Monday afternoon and all incoming aircraft were diverted.
visitor pass suspended
Officials said in a statement that non-commercial visitor passes at the base were suspended so the base could focus solely on emergency response operations. Edwards Air Force Base is the center of major aircraft test and development for the US Air Force and is located approximately 161 kilometers north of Los Angeles.
What is the history of this base?
The 412th Test Wing, which operates the base, also conducts developmental testing of all Air Force aircraft, weapon systems, software and components both before procurement and throughout their life. It was on this huge base built in the desert that Air Force test pilot Chuck Yeager achieved the speed of Mach 1.05 in 1947 and broke the sound barrier.
Crash shortly after takeoff
The way the B-52 plane crashed immediately after takeoff, without reaching high altitude or going far, aviation safety expert Jeff Guzzetti suspects that there may have been a failure in flight control. But it is too early to say what caused the problem in control.
What is the reason for the accident?
He said that it is possible that the controls may have been set incorrectly after maintenance, or there may have been a major fault in the engine or there might have been a fault in the equipment that was being tested. Guzzetti said, I think it was definitely a control problem. Now, I cannot say for sure whether this was due to engine failure, flight control failure or failure of some new testing device. Guzzetti previously investigated crashes for the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Although the Air Force has been flying B-52 bombers for more than 70 years, testing new equipment on the plane can create new challenges. Flight tests are always more risky than normal operations, so there must be specially trained test pilots and other safety protocols in place, Guzzetti said.
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