STORY: Timelapses showed smoke rising after a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber crashed on takeoff on Monday (June 15) at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California's Mojave Desert, bursting into flames and killing all eight crew members aboard, Air Force officials said.

The eight-engine, jet-powered aircraft, built to carry a wide array of nuclear and conventional bombs, was on a routine test mission when it crashed on the runway at Edwards just after leaving the ground, Air Force Colonel James Hayes said at a news conference hours later.

Edwards, a sprawling test flight facility established in the 1930s around a dry lake bed, occupies about 481 square miles (1,245 square km) of the Mojave desert, making it the Air Force's largest airfield.

Reuters verified the location of the videos by the terrain and road layout which matched archive & satellite imagery. The shape of mountains matched topography mapping. The coordinates of the Edwards Air Force Base are: 34.93588669418857, -117.83066387145875. The date when the videos were filmed was verified by timestamp seen on the footage and an AirForce statement on the plane crash.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

Timelapses show smoke rising after an accident at the Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California's Mojave Desert. Video credit: ALERTCalifornia | UC San Diego

VIDEO SHOWS: TIMELAPSES SHOWING SMOKE RISING FOLLOWING U.S. AIR FORCE B-52 BOMBER CRASH

VERIFICATION:

- Location was confirmed by the terrain and road layout that matched archive and satellite imagery

- Shape of mountains matched topography mapping

- Coordinates of the Edwards Air Force Base: 34.93588669418857, -117.83066387145875

- The date when the videos were filmed was verified by timestamp on the footage and an AirForce statement on the plane crash

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 15, 2026) (ALERTCALIFORNIA | UC SAN DIEGO - Must not obscure logo / Must on-screen courtesy ALERTCalifornia | UC San Diego)

1. VARIOUS OF TIMELAPSES SHOWING SMOKE RISING FOLLOWING U.S. AIR FORCE B-52 BOMBER CRASH AT EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE