Military IDs 8 victims of fiery B-52 crash at California Air Force base

Published
June 17, 2026
Location
Edwards, California
runway
Incident type
Aircraft, Crash

Summary

Car Crash Edwards California in Edwards, California: A B‐52 Stratofortress crashed shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base on Monday, June 15, 2026, killing all eight people aboard. The aircraft broke up upon impact with the 15,000‐foot runway and the base remains closed pending investigation.

Publicly reported parties

Name Role Status
Col. Gregory Watson Unknown Fatal
Retired Lt. Col. Miles Middleton Driver Fatal
Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella Unknown Fatal
Maj. Alexander Davis Unknown Fatal
Maj. Robert Dee Unknown Fatal
Maj. Brad Hovey Unknown Fatal
Jeromy Smith Unknown Fatal
Christopher Rischar Unknown Fatal

Original reporting

Military IDs 8 victims of fiery B-52 crash at California Air Force base | AP News

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