Victims ID'd in B-52 bomber crash that killed 8 at Edwards Air Force Base

3 days ago 9

Edwards Air Force Base has released the names of the 8 radical killed successful a B-52 Stratofortress bomber clang connected Monday. The deceased see subject personnel, Boeing employees and authorities civilians.

The deceased see weapons strategy officers Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella, 40, and Maj. Alexander Davis, 34. Estrella was portion of the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center astatine Edwards. 419th Test Squadron pilots Maj. Robert Dee, 40, and Maj. Brad Hovey, 35, were besides among the dead.

The others killed were Jeremy Smith, 32, a formation trial technologist from the 419th Flight Test Squadron; Christopher Rischar, 41, a contractor and formation trial engineer; retired Lt. Col. Miles Middleton, 50, a Boeing pilot; and Col. (select) Gregory Watson, 53, a weapons serviceman for Boeing and Air Force reservist assigned to the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base successful Fort Worth, Texas.

"It is with profound sorrow and a dense bosom that I tin present stock the names of the 8 bonzer Americans we mislaid during Monday's B-52 crash," Col. Thomas Tauer, 412th Test Wing commander, said successful a quality merchandise identifying the deceased. "They were dedicated professionals, beloved household members and irreplaceable teammates. ... These Airmen were much than coworkers. They were friends, mentors, teammates and valued members of our Edwards and Air Force family."

The radical was acting arsenic a Combined Test Force, oregon CTF, which the airfield described arsenic a unsocial conception wherever active-duty airmen enactment with subject contractors and governments civilians to implicit circumstantial projects.

As modular practice, the subject makes nationalist identifications 24 hours aft adjacent of kin person been notified.

The unit was embarking connected a trial ngo for the Air Force's Radar Modernization Program erstwhile the level took disconnected astir 11:20 a.m. section time, CBS News antecedently reported. The level crashed connected the runway soon aft taking disconnected and burst into flames.

Aerial footage taken soon aft the clang showed a ample pain people and a immense plume of smoke, which could beryllium seen for miles. Col. James Hayes, the lawman commandant for the 412th Test Wing astatine Edwards Air Force Base, described the clang arsenic "unsurvivable," contempt contiguous efforts from archetypal responders.

The airfield volition stay closed until astatine slightest Thursday, the basal antecedently said. Flight trial operations are expected to resume aboriginal adjacent week.

The Radar Modernization Program is meant to upgrade B-52 bombers truthful the planes tin proceed flying into the 2050s. The craft person "tremendous" payload capableness and range, according to Doug Birkey, the enforcement manager of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. The planes are susceptible of carrying atomic weapons. Some B-52s were precocious deployed during the Iran war.

But the property of the B-52s poses a risk, Birkey said. They are among the oldest planes successful the Air Force's fleet, with those inactive successful work contiguous having been built successful the aboriginal 1960s. The U.S. subject is paying astir $50 cardinal to upgrade those planes, with the hopes of keeping them flying until the 2050s.

"When you are dealing with craft of this property and erstwhile you are pressing for the high-performance benignant scenarios, we're asking folks to instrumentality a batch of risk," Birkey told CBS News connected Tuesday. "And clearly, 8 radical paid with their lives."

The U.S. Air Force's Accident Investigation Board volition analyse the incident, the basal said. The board's probe process tin instrumentality up to six months to signifier archetypal conclusions connected the origin of the crash.

Supporting families who mislaid loved ones and different squad members remains the base's superior objective, it said. The trial helping has stood up an Emergency Family Assistance Center to supply support, similar intelligence wellness services, childcare assistance, ineligible counsel, and chaplain enactment for anyone astatine Edwards Air Force Base, according to the Air Force.

Air Force Global Strike Command, which oversees the bomber program, encouraged members of the bid to look aft each different in an X post on Wednesday.

"Please instrumentality the clip to cheque successful connected your wingmen. Grief affects america each differently, and determination is implicit spot successful asking for assistance erstwhile you request it," the station from the commandant and bid main of AFGSC said.

The U.S. Air Force does overmuch of its aerospace investigating astatine Edwards. The installation is located astir 100 miles northbound of Los Angeles.

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