LOS ANGELES: Eight people died when a US B-52 bomber crashed and erupted into a catastrophic fire shortly after takeoff at an air force base in California on Monday (Jun 15), officials said.The heavy bomber was on a routine testing mission with a mixture of military, government and civilian contractors on boa

Eight people were killed after a US B-52 bomber crashed and burst into flames shortly after take-off from Edwards Air Force Base in California on Monday. The aircraft was carrying a mix of military personnel,…

The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress has been used by the US military since the 1950s.

The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress has been used by the US military since the 1950s.

The aircraft crashed at California's Edwards Air Force base. An investigation is now underway into the cause of the disaster.

Eight people aboard a B-52 Stratofotress were killed Monday when the plane crashed shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California.

A B-52 bomber crashed Monday after taking off on a routine test mission from Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California, killing eight people, Air Force officials said. The nuclear-capable aircraft, considered the “backbone” of the Air Force’s strategic bomber force,” crashed on the Edwards airfield soon after taking off at 11:20 a.m., officials from the Kern County base reported through a social media post. Eight people were killed in the crash, which officials said was “not survivable.” Officials said the airfield, which includes the world’s longest runway, was closed with inbound aircraft being diverted. While Edwards authorities declined to speculate Monday afternoon, a December release indicated that a B-52 Stratofortress had been successfully transferred to Edwards Air Force Base for testing after being equipped with the new Active Electronically Scanned Array, or AESA, radar system. In video footage from Los Angeles TV stations, including KTLA, smoke could be seen rising from a debris-strewn area just…