A B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed shortly after takeoff on Monday morning at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California's Mojave Desert, according to U.S. Air Force officials.
The aircraft went down around 11:20 a.m. at the base, which is located approximately 100 miles north of Los Angeles in Kern County.
Emergency crews were immediately dispatched to the scene, and the airfield was closed shortly before 1 p.m., diverting all inbound aircraft. The military confirmed the incident on the social platform X, but no information was immediately available regarding casualties or the condition of the crew.
Video footage from the scene showed a plume of black smoke rising from the desert, indicating a significant fire. All non-commercial visitor passes for the base were suspended to allow emergency response operations to proceed without interference.
The B-52 Stratofortress, manufactured by Boeing, is a long-range bomber that first entered service in 1955. Typically crewed by five people, it is designed to carry both conventional and nuclear weapons and has been used in conflicts ranging from the Vietnam War to recent operations in the Middle East.
Edwards Air Force Base is a major hub for the U.S. Air Force's aircraft test and development efforts, housing the 412th Test Wing, which conducts developmental testing of all Air Force aircraft, weapons systems, software, and components.
The base is also historically significant as the site where Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in 1947. The crash comes nearly a year after a regional airliner over North Dakota had to make an evasive maneuver to avoid a potential midair collision with a B-52 bomber last July.