A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base in southern California on Monday, sending a massive plume of black smoke into the sky, according to the base’s official statement.
The crash occurred at 11:20 a.m. local time (19:20 GMT), the base said. “Emergency crews immediately responded to the scene and the situation is ongoing. More information will be provided as it becomes available,” the base said in a statement. Aerial footage showed a charred, smoking landscape where the crash occurred.
The base did not say whether there were any injuries or what happened to the crew. The B-52 typically carries a crew of five: an aircraft commander, pilot, radar navigator, navigator and electronic warfare officer.
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, nicknamed “the Buff” (short for “Big Ugly Fat”), has been a mainstay of the U.S. Air Force since the 1950s. Originally designed during the Cold War for long-range nuclear strikes, the aircraft is capable of flying at up to 50,000 feet — higher than typical commercial airliners, which fly around 35,000 feet — and can carry a payload of 70,000 pounds, including hundreds of conventional bombs and up to 32 nuclear cruise missiles. Its ability to refuel in mid-air gives it a potentially unlimited strike range.
The B-52 has been actively used in recent military operations. According to the BBC and the Wall Street Journal, the bombers have been participating in bombing raids on Iran during the current U.S.-Israeli military campaign.
The Air Force has been planning to replace the B-52’s 1960s-era engines with modern, more fuel-efficient engines. That upgrade and others are intended to keep the aircraft in service until it reaches 100 years old.
Edwards Air Force Base is located in California’s Mojave Desert and is home to the Air Force Test Center, the Air Force Test Pilot School, and NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center. The base has been the site of historic aviation milestones, including Chuck Yeager’s 1947 flight that broke the sound barrier and the first landings of the Space Shuttle in 1981.
The crash comes as the Dow Jones Industrial Average stood at 51,202.26 points on Monday, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.