A U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber plane crashed at Edwards Air Force Base in California Monday morning, leaving behind a major plume of smoke that could be seen across Los Angeles County’s high desert.
It wasn’t immediately clear if anyone was injured or killed in the crash. The air force base only confirmed in a post on social media that a B-52 Stratofortress crashed “shortly after takeoff” on the base’s airfield at 11:20 a.m.
“Emergency crews immediately responded to the scene and the situation is ongoing. More information will be provided as it becomes available,” a spokesperson for the base said in a statement.
The B-52 Stratofortress is described by the military as a “long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions,” known as the “backbone of the manned strategic bomber force for the United States.”
There are typically five crew members on such a plane, including an aircraft commander, pilot, radar navigator, navigator and electronic warfare officer, according to the U.S. Air Force.
Edwards Air Force Base is located primarily in rural southeast Kern County, but part of the base stretches into east San Bernardino County and north L.A. County, not far from Lancaster.
This is a developing story.