Flight tracking data shows B-52 took sharp turn before crashing, killing all 8 on board

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The B-52 that crashed during a trial formation astatine an Air Force basal successful California took a crisp crook earlier plunging to the crushed astatine a complaint astir 10 times faster than a level usually descends for landing, constricted tracking information shows.

All 8 radical aboard were killed successful Monday's fiery clang of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, which was taking portion successful a regular trial ngo arsenic portion of an wide programme to support the long-running craft flying for decades to come. It was not yet wide Tuesday what caused the level to crash, and officials astatine Edwards Air Force Base said it could instrumentality up to six months to implicit the investigation.

According to AirNav Systems, a formation tracking website, the B-52 was airborne for 3 minutes and 15 seconds earlier crashing.

The formation tracking that was disposable Tuesday shows the bomber turning to the northeast close aft taking disconnected and astir completing a 180 grade crook earlier crashing connected different runway, according to AirNav Systems. The information that comes from a strategy called “multilateration” doesn’t amusement precise altitude and velocity information, but it does amusement the level fell to world astatine a complaint of descent of 5,056 feet (1,541 meters) per minute.

The airfield remained closed Tuesday. Crews were making the clang tract harmless for hunt and betterment teams to enter, aft fires flared up overnight, said Mike Paoli, a spokesperson for the 412 Test Wing astatine Edwards.

The craft was supporting a “radar modernization program,” Col. James Hayes, the lawman commandant for the 412 Test Wing, said Monday. In 2025, Boeing sent a B-52 to Edwards with a modernized radar strategy that is cardinal to keeping the bomber successful the aerial done astatine slightest 2050, astir a period aft it archetypal entered service.

A trial squad planned to behaviour crushed and formation trial activities connected the craft passim 2026 to provender a accumulation decision, the Air Force said successful a 2025 quality release. The modern Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar strategy replaced the aircraft’s antiquated radar. It was unclear if that was the aforesaid craft progressive successful Monday’s crash.

AESA replaced 1960s radar exertion and offers improved navigation and targeting capabilities, according to a 2023 quality merchandise from Raytheon, which designed the caller strategy for the Air Force's full B-52 fleet.

B-52 began flying successful the 1950s

The B-52, a long-range bomber that entered work successful 1955, is designed to transportation some accepted and atomic weapons. It has been utilized successful conflicts involving the U.S. subject from Vietnam to Iran.

Along with a caller radar, the fleet of 76 B-52s are scheduled to person further upgrades, including caller engines, unit compartments, accepted and atomic connection systems, avionics and weapons. The subject said the extremity is to marque the B-52 a complement to the Air Force’s newest strategical bomber, the B-21 Raider.

Aerial footage showed virtually thing near of the craft that went down astatine the basal successful the Mojave Desert astir 100 miles (161 km) northeast of Los Angeles. Officials determined nary 1 could person survived aft reviewing footage of the crash, Hayes said astatine a quality conference.

Those connected the B-52 included authorities contractors, Boeing employees and uniformed military.

Edwards is location to the 412th Test Wing, which conducts regular developmental investigating of each Air Force aircraft, weapons systems, bundle and components earlier acquisition by the work arsenic good arsenic passim their beingness span. Test missions instrumentality spot astatine Edwards daily, Hayes said.

The basal is wherever Air Force trial aviator Chuck Yeager reached a velocity of Mach 1.05 and broke the dependable obstruction successful 1947.

Investigators volition intimately analyse the formation controls and engines

Aviation information experts person said their archetypal thoughts astir what mightiness person caused the clang were astir a malfunction successful the formation controls oregon engines, but it is mode excessively aboriginal to know. And investigators volition see a myriad of factors, including the property and attraction of the plane.

J. Joseph, a retired Marine Corps colonel and hose pilot. said that adjacent successful a B-52 with 8 engines, a malfunction tin marque the level hard to power if the aviator loses the outboard engines, and the forces pushing the level get retired of equilibrium successful a information Joseph called asymmetric thrust. Although if determination is time, the pilots tin set the different throttles to rebalance the forces.

Heather Penney, a erstwhile F-16 combat aviator and aviation expert, said she knew 1 of the radical who died aboard the B-52 personally -- reinforcing however tragic this clang is for the close-knit assemblage of subject aviators. She declined to sanction the idiosyncratic earlier officials do.

She said it is improbable that aviator mistake caused this clang fixed the adept grooming and acquisition of the trial pilots connected this flight. The property of the B-52 besides opens up the anticipation of problems with the operation of the plane.

“The youngest B- 52 was delivered to the Air Force successful 1962. That was earlier the Cuban rocket crisis, earlier the archetypal antheral walked connected the moon, earlier we had idiosyncratic computers,” said Penney, who is manager of Studies and Research astatine The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. “These are aged airplanes. They’re structurally robust, but they are aged aircraft. So structural nonaccomplishment can’t beryllium ruled out.”

All the modernization efforts and upgrades that person been made to the B-52s implicit the decades person extended the beingness of these planes. At immoderate point, these bombers volition person to beryllium replaced, but for present they proceed to play a important relation for the Air Force.

“The B-52 fleet that we person today, is the backbone of America’s bomber force. It’s implicit 50% of our bomber force, and it tin spell further, person larger payload, and enactment airborne longer without refueling than immoderate of our different bombers,” Penney said. “There’s nary different bomber successful our unit has the attributes of the B-52. It’s been a workhorse. It’s going to proceed to beryllium a workhorse.”

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Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska. Associated Press writer Konstantin Toropin contributed from Washington, D.C.

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