Officials on Wednesday released the names of the eight people killed in Monday’s U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress crash, saying their priority “remains on supporting the families impacted and our installation team members.”
A spokesperson for Edwards Air Force Base and Air Force Plant 42 said those who died included military personnel, government civilians and contractors.
The victims were identified as Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella, 40, a weapons system officer; Maj. Alexander Davis, 34, a weapons system officer; Maj. Robert Dee, 40, a pilot with the 419th Test Squadron; Maj. Brad Hovey, 35, a pilot with the 419th Test Squadron; Jeromy Smith, 32, a flight test engineer with the 419th Flight Test Squadron; Christopher Rischar, 41, a contractor and flight test engineer; Lt. Col. Miles Middleton (Ret.), 50, a Boeing pilot; and Col. Gregory Watson, 53, a weapons officer for Boeing and an Air Force reservist whose promotion to colonel was recently confirmed by the service.
The Air Force said all eight victims were on board the B-52 Stratofortress when it went down Monday in California.
The Cold War-era bomber crashed shortly after takeoff at about 11:20 a.m. local time Monday at Edwards Air Force Base in Kern County, California, as previously reported.
The crew had been carrying out a routine test mission tied to the Air Force’s broad B-52 modernization effort, including work to assess a new radar, upgraded avionics and new Rolls-Royce engines intended to keep the aircraft flying into the 2050s.
Smoke rises from Edwards Air Force Base after a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber crashed in Edwards, Calif., on June 15, 2026. (ALERTCalifornia/Reuters)
As the Air Force pauses flight test operations at the base, the investigation is expected to focus heavily on the aircraft’s takeoff, looking for potential engine failures or controllability issues.
The probe will also likely examine maintenance records, especially after Smith’s widow told local outlet KTLA the plane was experiencing issues on the Friday before the fatal crash, causing the flight to be delayed.
FILE – The crash happened shortly after takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in California. (Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images)
The Air Force has indicated the full investigation could take up to six months to complete.
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