Eight crew members are believed to have been killed after a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress crashed during takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base on Monday, according to reports citing US military officials.
The aircraft went down shortly after becoming airborne during a routine test mission in California’s Mojave Desert, bursting into flames on the runway and sending a massive plume of black smoke into the sky.
Air Force Colonel James Hayes said the crew included government civilians, contractors and uniformed military personnel. He confirmed that all eight people aboard were killed in the crash.
Boeing, which designed and built the aircraft, said two of its employees were among the dead.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation.