The United States Air Force revealed on Wednesday the names of the eight individuals who lost their lives when a B-52H Stratofortress crashed on Monday, June 15, shortly after taking off from Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert, California.
The victims are Colonel Gregory Watson (53 years old); Lieutenant Colonel Gabriel Estrella (40 years old); retired Lieutenant Colonel Miles Middleton (50 years old); Majors Alexander Davis (34 years old), Robert Dee (40 years old), and Brad Hovey (35 years old); and flight test engineers Jeromy Smith (32 years old) and Christopher Rischar (41 years old).
The deceased were aged between 32 and 53 years and held positions as pilots, weapons systems officers, and flight test engineers associated with Edwards Air Force Base, Boeing, and contractor companies.
The names were released after the completion of the 24-hour waiting period established by the Department of War's policy to ensure that all family members were notified before public disclosure.
The colonel Thomas Tauer, commander of the Test Wing 412, addressed workers and their families to pay tribute to the fallen: “They were dedicated professionals, cherished members of their families, and irreplaceable team members.”
The Air Force Material Command also expressed its condolences in an official message: "We honor the eight aviators, civilians, and contractors of the Material Command lost in the B-52 accident at Edwards Air Force Base. Our thoughts are with their families, friends, and colleagues."
The accident occurred at 11:20 AM local time, when the aircraft was conducting a routine test mission related to the modernization program of the AN/APQ-188 radar for the B-52, part of an ambitious upgrade plan that includes new Rolls-Royce F130 engines and has an estimated cost of 48.6 billion dollars to keep the bomber operational until the 2050s.
The aircraft was carrying eight people, three more than the standard crew of five. Military authorities preliminarily classified the incident as "non-survivable" from the very moment of impact.
After the accident, Edwards Air Force Base was closed immediately, incoming aircraft were diverted, and all non-commercial visitor passes were suspended. The formal investigation was assigned to a board of inquiry from the Air Force, whose preliminary conclusions regarding the incident could take up to six months to be published.
The B-52H Stratofortress is one of the longest-serving bombers in the history of military aviation: it entered service in 1955 and ceased production in 1962, although the Air Force maintains 76 units in active service. Monday's accident is the deadliest involving this type of aircraft since July 21, 2008, when six military personnel died in the crash of a B-52 off the coast of Guam.
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