Eight people are presumed dead after a B-52 bomber crashed Monday at Edwards Air Force Base in California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The B-52 Stratofortress went down shortly after its 11:20 a.m. PT takeoff from Edwards, the 412th Test Wing of the Air Force, which oversees base operations, said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cInitial indications are that the crash was not survivable,\u201d officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The aircraft, which was supporting the \u201cradar modernization program,\u201d was on a \u201croutine test mission\u201d when it went down, officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The cause of the crash is unclear, and it could take up to six months to complete an investigation, officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The eight people on board included government contractors and uniformed military.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe lost eight great Americans,\u201d Col. James Hayes, the deputy commander for the 412 test wing at Edwards, said at a news conference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The identities of those on board have not been released, but Boeing confirmed that two of its employees had been killed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe extend our deepest condolences to the loved ones of the eight crew members who lost their lives on the B-52 crash,\u201d the aerospace company said in a statement Monday evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Edwards Air Force Base is about 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aerial video of the crash site showed a large black, smoking debris field in the desert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Built by Boeing, the Stratofortress is a long-range bomber capable of carrying nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nicknamed \u201cthe Buff,\u201d for Big Ugly Fat Fellow, it\u2019s been the go-to bomber for the U.S. military since 1955, according to Air Force Global Strike Command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each plane costs $84 million and is manned by a crew of five, including an aircraft commander, a pilot, a radar navigator, a navigator and an electronic warfare officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n