B-52 crash at Edwards Air Force Base investigation to focus on takeoff
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The B-52 bomber first entered service during the Eisenhower administration in the 1950s.
More than seven decades later, the Air Force is spending billions of dollars to transform the Cold War-era bomber with new engines, upgraded avionics and advanced radar systems that will keep it flying into the 2050s.
That modernization effort came into focus Monday when a B-52 Stratofortress plane crashed during a test mission shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base in California, killing all eight people on board.
The crew included military personnel, government civilians and contractors supporting the flight test mission. Boeing later confirmed that two employees were also on the plane.
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The accident marks the loss of one of only 76 B-52s remaining in the Air Force inventory. The nuclear-capable bomber remains the cornerstone of America’s strategic bomber force and is expected to serve alongside the Air Force’s next-generation B-21 Raider for decades to come.
The B-52 bomber first entered service during the Eisenhower administration in the 1950s. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)
As investigators begin to piece together what happened, aviation attorney and maritime helicopter pilot Justin Green said the plane’s crash just minutes after takeoff will likely shape the early stages of the investigation.
“The controllability issue of the planes is kind of an engine failure because they are in a very critical moment of flight as you are just taking off,” Green told Fox News Digital. “So I think that’s really going to be the focus.”
Green, who served as co-chairman of the plaintiffs’ steering committee in the case stemming from the 2019 Boeing 737 MAX crash in Ethiopia and is involved in cases related to the January 2025 mid-air collision over the Potomac River, cautioned that investigators are still in the early stages of the investigation.
“The most important thing in research is that you don’t make any assumptions,” Green said. “In the early days, you really have to keep an open mind and follow the facts where the facts take you.”
A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base in Kern County, California, on Monday, officials said. (KTTV)
According to the Air Force, the aircraft was conducting a local test sortie supporting the Air Force’s radar modernization program when it crashed. Edwards Air Force Base serves as the Air Force’s premier flight test center; here aircraft are routinely used to evaluate new technologies and modifications before being deployed into a larger fleet.
The Air Force is currently engaged in one of the most ambitious modernization efforts in B-52 history.
The service plans to equip the bombers with new Rolls-Royce F130 engines, upgraded avionics and modern, active electronically scanned array radar intended to improve navigation, targeting and situational awareness while extending the aircraft’s operational life into mid-century.
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The timing of the accident naturally drew attention to these upgrades. But the radar system itself isn’t a clear explanation, based on the limited facts available, Green said.
“I think it’s very unlikely,” Green said when asked if the new radar system contributed to the crash. “A new radar system shouldn’t really impact the aircraft’s ability to take off safely.”
While investigators are expected to examine every aspect of the plane and the mission, Green said they will likely focus on factors that directly impact the plane’s ability to safely leave the runway and climb after takeoff.
American aircrew inspect a B-52 Stratofortress long-range bomber at RAF Fairford during Exercise Cobra Warrior 2025 in England. (Getty Images)
The B-52’s age is also expected to be part of the discussion. The bomber first entered service in the 1950s and remains one of the oldest aircraft in the US military inventory. But Green said investigators may be more likely to focus on maintenance records, recently installed components and operational factors rather than the plane’s original design.
“This is a very old plane,” Green said. “A problem won’t actually be a design problem. If it’s a new part, a maintenance problem or a piloting problem, it will be more of a manufacturing problem.”
Investigators are expected to analyze physical evidence from the crash scene along with maintenance records and existing flight data. The debris itself will “tell the story,” according to Green, and will likely provide many of the answers researchers are looking for.
He added that flight data and cockpit recordings, if recovered, could be critical in reconstructing the plane’s final moments.
The involvement of contractors and Boeing employees in the flight could also raise unique legal questions depending on what investigators ultimately believe caused the crash.
Military personnel generally cannot sue the federal government for injuries or deaths that occur during military service because of the Feres doctrine, a longstanding legal precedent. Contractors are not subject to the same restriction; however, potential claims may still face significant legal hurdles depending on the circumstances of the accident and the role of the companies involved.
“Unless the manufacturer actually did something at fault, you know that in itself is negligence, they can also be protected from any liability,” Green said.
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But Green emphasized that, for now, determining responsibility remains far down the list of priorities.
The Air Force has not publicly disclosed the cause of the crash. Investigators are expected to spend weeks and possibly months examining the evidence before reaching any conclusions about what brought down one of the military’s most iconic planes.
