B-52 Down...

Eight were on board the aircraft...  ...it's being reported that the crash was not survivable.

...godspeed...

Supposedly a mix of military and civilian test pilots. May they rest in peace. 

That stinks. 

We had an F/A-18 Hornet crash up here on Saturday. The pilot was able to eject.  https://www.yoursourceone.com/columbia_basin/fighter-jet-crashes-west-of-yakima/article_b3ba908c-2ec6-4a15-ad6a-43c1b4110173.html

They regularly fly in the area. We used to camp at Bumping Lake in the Cascade mountains and when they come through the valley over the lake...you know it! Impressive

Terrible News…. RIP 💔 Prayers for their families and friends.

Holy cow. Referencing my post from just above Kennys. 

Again, the pilot was able to eject and is alive. https://www.facebook.com/reel/27786847000913029

Six airforce crew and two engineers from Boeing.

Terrible news and may they rest in peace.

That's a big airplane.

Fellas, every time an airframe that I've worked on goes down...my guts get twisted.  The thought, "Was it something I did or didn't do"

Prayers for those we lost.

Dang, awful news.......

Can't imagine what the families are going through right now. When my wife passed away 18 month ago, I had four and a half years to prepare for it even though I prayed and hoped it would not happen, but it did. And I still miss her tremendously as my life is not the same.

But for the families of the deceased, they have to be in shock, hoping it's a nightmare that they will wake up from....😢

This is just…sad. And a tragic loss. Edward’s is pretty much the ultimate test facility..,on the planet. Back in the days of The Right Stuff, crashes out there were the norm due to the simple fact that they were waaaay beyond just “pushing the envelope”. In fact, they were creating it…inventing it…dreaming it up.

Nowadays, things are pretty damn well sorted out by the time they roll a bird out of the shadows.

Also, B52s are not known for falling out of the sky. They’re ultra-dependable and have been sorted out. Hell, they’re technically older than most of us…but, there’s not much on a modern B52 that’s not new or vastly improved…over the last 71 years… (longer than that of you include the YB-XB programs).

This is just …weird. 

BUFFs don’t crash on roll out-rotate. They just kinda glide to flt level 300-500 and cruise. This is really weird. Something’s WAY NOT RIGHT. 

Prayers to the AF and Boeing families and communities. 

My first thought was to wonder if it was in any way similar to the Fairchild crash in ‘94 but that wasn’t on takeoff. 

Some stuff being speculated is some sort of hydraulic failure.

My work partner for 23 some odd years has a good friend he grew up with in the Antelope Valley. His good friend's son was on that flight. He was one of the government contractors on that flight. So sad. 

May all the crew RIP

My dad flew BUFFs out of Grand Fork AFB in the late 60s. This was after he did a FAC tour in Vietnam. When asked upon his return which aircraft he wanted to fly, he responded “Anything but B-52s!”.  The military is such a prankster. 

I have my A&P and for this reason I never pursued a career in maintenance. I don't want that liability.

Not sure if it's true but I'm hearing that the a/c pitched near vertical, stalled and came down.  That would indicate a problem with the stab.  That actuator and all it's mounts are extremely sturdy but it's not the easiest to overhaul and rig.

Or a flt computer that’s lost it’s fucking mind…it is a Boeing after-all…

r/aviation is claiming it was a radar modernization/testing program. Wonder if they're retrofitting a lot of new tech onto those older air frames?

Crew members lost:

▪ Col. Gregory Watson, 53, weapon systems officer, Boeing (Air Force reservist, assigned 10thAir Force, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas), Shreveport, La.
▪ Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella, 40, weapon systems officer, Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Detachment 5, Edwards AFB, Calif.
▪ Retired Lt. Col. Miles Middleton, 50, pilot, Boeing, Tehachapi, Calif.
▪ Maj. Alexander Davis, 34, weapon systems officer, 419th Flight Test Squadron, Lancaster, Calif.
▪ Maj. Robert Dee, 40, pilot, 419th Flight Test Squadron, Edwards AFB, Calif.
▪ Maj. Brad Hovey, 35, pilot, 419th Flight Test Squadron, Edwards AFB, Calif.
▪ Jeromy Smith, 32, flight test engineer, 419th Flight Test Squadron, Rosamond, Calif.
▪ Christopher Rischar, 41, flight test engineer, JT4 contractor, Lancaster, Calif.

The modern B52 is a radar/tracking/comms/intel-gathering/ultra diverse weapons delivery & command & control platform.

The 419th develops “the future” of American Air Superiority.

I'd keep an eye on the new Tanker but the Buff and 135 are rock solid.  Built to a spec...not a price point.  I really feel this was an anomoly...a tragic one.

Man, I sure hope they weren't testing some sort of autonomous system.  I remember the avionics troops telling me that the C-5 actually had that capability.  The only thing it couldn't do was taxi from the chocks to EOR.

My best friend has his, but quit using it long ago and shut down his maintenance facility.   He had worked on some cylinders that went in a chopper, and that thing later went down  (eventually it was ruled it wasnt due to any of his work), but initially the FAA was all up his ass and log books and you are basically a suspect at first.     After that,  and a run-in with a customer over an old wood spar Mooney,  he said fuck-it and got outta that biz entirely.  

I didn't realize the B-52J is in development until 2030's. I assumed this tech was tested for a new bomber, but I guess it makes a lot more sense to build off a quality template than from scratch. Insane to think it will have held up over a century if this project hits their end-goal of 2050.

I will say this...that debris is the most obliterated I have ever seen.  Especially for such a big plane.  Didn't look like there was anything bigger than a dinner plate.  I know it was full of fuel but I've never seen anything like it.  I was on a few recoveries while active and I'm telling you for true...it's odd.  🤔