Victims identified in B-52 crash at Edwards Air Force Base

The eight people killed when a B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base in California have been identified, including Air Force officers, flight test engineers and two Boeing employees, according to officials.

The crash happened Monday during a routine test mission involving a B-52 Stratofortress at Edwards, one of the Air Force’s main flight test centers. The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff and burst into flames.

The victims were identified as Col. Gregory Watson, 53, of Shreveport, Louisiana, a Boeing weapon systems officer and Air Force reservist assigned to 10th Air Force at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth; Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella, 40, a weapon systems officer with the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center’s Detachment 5 at Edwards; and retired Lt. Col. Miles Middleton, 50, of Tehachapi, California, a Boeing pilot.

Also killed were Maj. Alexander Davis, 34, of Lancaster, California, a weapon systems officer with the 419th Flight Test Squadron; Maj. Robert Dee, 40, a pilot with the 419th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards; Maj. Brad Hovey, 35, a pilot with the same squadron; Jeromy Smith, 32, of Rosamond, California, a flight test engineer with the 419th; and Christopher Rischar, 41, of Lancaster, a flight test engineer and JT4 contractor.

The names were released after next of kin had been notified and a 24-hour waiting period had passed, in accordance with Department of War policy, the base said.

“It is with profound sorrow and a heavy heart that I can now share the names of the eight extraordinary Americans we lost during Monday’s B-52 crash,” Col. Thomas Tauer, commander of the 412th Test Wing, said in a statement. “They were dedicated professionals, beloved family members and irreplaceable teammates.”

The crash happened at about 11:20 a.m. on the Edwards airfield during a local test mission for the B-52 radar modernization program, officials said Monday. The aircraft took off and crashed almost immediately.

The crash is being investigated by an Interim Safety Investigation Board. The airfield remains closed until further notice.