Eight crew believed dead in California B-52 bomber crash

An eight-crew B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed on takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California's Mojave Desert on Monday, killing all aboard. The aircraft, on a routine test mission for a radar modernization program, burst into flames on the runway shortly after leaving the ground. The crew included government civilians, contractors, and military personnel, with two Boeing employees confirmed among the dead. The crash caused a large charred area and has led to the grounding of all operations at Edwards Air Force Base through at least Tuesday, with the cause currently unknown and under investigation.