1 week ago
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Emergency crews "immediately responded to the scene".
21:09, Mon, Jun 15, 2026 Updated: 21:09, Mon, Jun 15, 2026
A plume of smoke was seen rising above Edwards Air Force Base on Monday (Image: X/DanielFireTruck/Alert California)
A military plane crashed shortly after taking off from a military base. A US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress crashed shortly after take-off on the Edwards Air Force Base in California, the base said on a social media message.
The incident happened at approximately 11.20am local time on Monday. Harrowing pictures shared on social media show a massive plume of smoke above the base. In an update, the base said the airfield was shut down and all "inbound aircraft diverted" in light of the incident.
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Base used for research and testing
The Edwards Air Force Base is used for research, development and testing of U.S. Air Force aircraft, weapons systems, software, and components, NBC said.
Emergency response ongoing
The military base has issued an update on X.
Update- 12:48 PDT: The airfield has been closed, and all inbound aircraft are being diverted.
All non-commercial visitor passes have been suspended until further notice to allow the installation to focus entirely on emergency response operations.
Base is 100 miles north of Los Angeles
The base is about 100 miles north of Los Angeles.
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B-52 also used in Vietnam
The B-52 Stratofortress planes were also used in the Vietnam War, and more recently in the Middle East.
Aftermath of crash
Here is a photo showing the aftermath of the crash published by US broadcaster CBS.
B-52 crashed in Mojave Desert
The military base is in California's Mojave Desert.
Military base to publish more info
The military base said they will publish more information as soon as it becomes available.
(Image: X)
The B-52 is a long-range bomber
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range bomber capable of subsonic speeds. It was also used during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
Military plane that crashed was a Stratofortress
The place that crashed was a Stratofortress like the one shown in this photograph.
(Image: Air Force)
It is not clear if anyone was injured
At the moment it is not known if anyone was injured in the crash.
Black smoke at the military base
Here is a photo showing black smoke rising from the military base after the crash.
(Image: K_DUBB_80/X)
49 mins ago20:24 Alice Scarsi
Where is the Edwards Air Force base located?
Edwards Air Force base, from which the B-52 Stratofortress took off before crashing, is in the Californian Mojave Desert.
52 mins ago20:21 Alice Scarsi
Military base issues statement
Shortly after pictures showing a large plume of smoke started circulating on social media this afternoon, the Edwards Air Force Base X and Facebook accounts shared a brief statement.
It read:
ALERT: A United States Air Force B-52 Stratofortress crashed shortly after takeoff on the Edwards airfield at 11:20 a.m. Emergency crews immediately responded to the scene and the situation is ongoing. More information will be provided as it becomes available.
53 mins ago20:20 Alice Scarsi
Welcome to our live blog
Welcome to our live blog. We'll bring you the latest on the incident at the California base.
English (US) · 