B-52 Crash at Edwards: 8 Named, and the Mission Behind It

All 8 aboard a B-52H died when it crashed seconds after takeoff at Edwards AFB on June 15, 2026.

The dead included active-duty airmen, a reservist and three civilians, two of them Boeing employees.

The jet was on a test flight for a new AESA radar meant to keep the B-52 flying into the 2050s.

It is the deadliest B-52 crash since 1982; the investigation may take about six months.

Tail number 60-0061 was built in the early 1960s, older than every crew member aboard.