LOS ANGELES — Military officials on Wednesday identified all eight men killed in this week’s fiery crash of a B-52 during a test flight at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California.
The victims include four active duty airmen, one reservist and three civilians, according to a statement from the base.
They were identified as: Col. Gregory Watson, 53; Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella, 40; Maj. Alexander Davis, 34; Maj. Robert Dee, 40; Maj. Brad Hovey, 35; Jeromy Smith, 32; and Christopher Rischar, 41.
“They were dedicated professionals, beloved family members and irreplaceable teammates,” Col. Thomas Tauer, commander of the 412th Test Wing at Edwards, said in the statement.
The airfield where the crash occurred on Monday was still closed but other base operations have resumed. No cause has been determined. Officials said it could take six months to complete the investigation.
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress was taking part in a test mission as part of a program to keep one of the oldest aircraft in the U.S. fleet flying for decades to come. The bomber had arrived at Edwards in December after having a modernized radar installed at Boeing’s facility in San Antonio.
The aircraft took off shortly before noon on a clear day, heading southwest into the prevailing winds. It flew straight and crashed on the same 15,000-foot (4,572-meter) runway. The compact wreckage indicates the plane dropped sharply.
Lauren Smith told Eyewitness News KBAK-CBS and FOX58 that her husband, Jeromy Smith, was a flight test engineer for the U.S. Department of Defense and died doing what he loved.
“It is such a horrible hurt, and I’m still processing everything that happened,” she said Tuesday.
The B-52, a long-range bomber that entered service in 1955, is designed to carry both conventional and nuclear weapons. It has been used in conflicts involving the U.S. military from Vietnam to Iran. .
Edwards is home to the 412th Test Wing, which conducts regular developmental testing of all Air Force aircraft, weapons systems, software and components before purchase by the service as well as throughout their life span. Test missions take place at Edwards daily.
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Toropin reported from Washington, D.C. Associated Press journalist Josh Funk contributed from Omaha, Nebraska.
