Edwards Air Force Base is flying again. The question everyone at the desert test centre is still asking is why it had to stop. On 15 June, B-52H tail number 60-0061 — call sign Torch 11 — crashed moments after takeoff from Edwards, killing all eight people aboard. It was the deadliest B-52 loss since 1982, and it happened on what should have been a routine radar test flight. The airfield reopened on 18 June. Flight test operations and the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School resumed on 22 June, exactly one week after the crash. Base spokesman Chase Kohler told Air & Space Forces Magazine that the ongoing safety investigation is not expected to lead to any restrictions on flight operations. None of the 75 remaining B-52H bombers have been grounded.

What Happened

Aircraft 60-0061 had arrived at Edwards in December 2025 after receiving an upgraded AN/APQ-188 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar at Boeing's San Antonio facility. The new radar is the centrepiece of the B-52's Radar Modernisation Programme, replacing the decades-old mechanical AN/APQ-166. On the morning of 15 June, the bomber took off for a routine test sortie. Immediately after getting airborne, something went catastrophically wrong. The aircraft crashed and was engulfed in flames. The deputy commander of the 412th Test Wing, Col. James Hayes, said it was "immediately clear" the crash was not survivable. Early data obtained by PBS showed the aircraft plunged at nearly a mile per minute before impact. Investigators are focusing on the takeoff phase — specifically engines and controllability.

The Crew

Eight people died aboard Torch 11 — a mix that reflects the unique nature of flight test. Two were Boeing contractors: Col. Gregory Watson (retired, 53), a weapon systems officer, and retired Lt. Col. Miles Middleton (50), a pilot. Two were active-duty pilots: Maj. Robert Dee (40) and Maj. Brad Hovey (35). Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella (40) and Maj. Alexander Davis (34) were weapon systems officers. Jeromy Smith (32) was an Air Force civilian flight test engineer. Christopher Rischar (41) was a JT4 contractor flight test engineer. Their remains were flown to Dover Air Force Base on 19 June for identification and funeral preparation. More than 700 people gathered at the Edwards chapel on 17 June, lighting candles in honour of the crew. The 307th Bomb Wing at Barksdale set up a memorial with eight candles, a standing display of white flowers, and a B-52 crew helmet.

Why It Matters Beyond Edwards

The crash happened during the most ambitious B-52 modernisation effort in the bomber's seven-decade history. The AESA radar upgrade is only one piece — the Air Force is also preparing to re-engine the entire fleet with Rolls-Royce F130 turbofans, replacing the eight original Pratt & Whitney TF33s on each aircraft, which will create the new B-52J designation. Stars and Stripes reported that the Air Force intends to press ahead with the modernisation programme despite the crash. The service needs the upgraded bomber to remain viable through the 2050s as a standoff weapons carrier alongside the B-21 Raider. The last fatal B-52 crash was in 1994 at Fairchild Air Force Base, when a B-52H stalled during an airshow practice. Before that, Mather Air Force Base in 1982 — nine killed. The Edwards loss is a painful reminder that test flying remains among the most dangerous work in aviation, even when the aircraft is 65 years old.

Sources: Air & Space Forces Magazine, PBS, Stars and Stripes, U.S. Air Force