Deadly B-52 crash puts focus on engines, controllability as investigators hunt for answers
The B-52 bomber aircraft first entered service during the Eisenhower administration during the 1950s.
More than seven decades later, the Air Force is spending billions of dollars to transform the Cold War-era bomber with new engines, upgraded avionics and advanced radar systems designed to keep it flying into the 2050s.
That modernization effort was thrust into the spotlight Monday when a B-52 Stratofortress crashed shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base in California during a test mission, killing all eight people aboard.
The crew included military personnel, government civilians and contractors supporting the flight test mission. Boeing later confirmed that two of its employees were among those on board.
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The crash marks the loss of one of just 76 B-52s remaining in the Air Force inventory. The nuclear-capable bomber remains a cornerstone of America's strategic bomber force and is expected to serve alongside the Air Force's next-generation B-21 Raider for decades to come.
As investigators begin piecing together what happened, aviation attorney and Marine helicopter pilot veteran Justin Green said the fact that the aircraft went down moments after takeoff is likely to shape the early stages of the investigation.
"Aircraft controllability issue, some sort of engine failure, because they're in a very critical moment of flight when you're just taking off," Green told Fox News Digital. "So I think that's really gonna be the focus."
Green, who serves as co-chair of the plaintiffs' executive committee in litigation stemming from the 2019 Boeing 737 MAX crash in Ethiopia and is involved in litigation related to the January 2025 midair collision over the Potomac River, cautioned that investigators are still in the earliest stages of the probe.
"The key thing in investigations is you don't make any assumptions," Green said. "In the early days, you have to really just keep an open mind and really follow the facts where the facts lead you."
The aircraft was conducting a local test sortie supporting the Air Force's radar modernization program when it crashed, according to the Air Force. Edwards Air Force Base serves as the Air Force's premier flight-test center, where aircraft are routinely used to evaluate new technologies and modifications before they are fielded across the broader fleet.
The Air Force is currently pursuing one of the most ambitious modernization efforts in the B-52's history.
The service plans to equip the bombers with new Rolls-Royce F130 engines, upgraded avionics and a modern active electronically scanned array radar intended to improve navigation, targeting and situational awareness while extending the aircraft's operational lifespan well into the middle of the century.
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The timing of the crash has naturally drawn attention to those upgrades. But Green said the radar system itself is not an obvious explanation based on the limited facts available.
"I think it's very unlikely," Green said when asked whether the new radar system could have contributed to the crash. "A new radar system shouldn't really affect the ability of the airplane to take off safely."
While investigators are expected to examine every aspect of the aircraft and mission, Green said they are likely to focus heavily on factors that directly affect an aircraft's ability to safely depart the runway and climb after takeoff.
The B-52's age is also expected to be part of the discussion. The bomber first entered service in the 1950s and remains one of the oldest aircraft in the U.S. military inventory. Yet Green said investigators may be more likely to focus on maintenance records, recently installed components and operational factors than on the aircraft's original design.
"This is a very old airplane," Green said. "A problem is not really gonna be a design problem. It's gonna be more of a manufacturing if it's a new part or a maintenance issue or a piloting issue."
Investigators are expected to analyze physical evidence recovered from the crash site, along with maintenance records and any available flight data. According to Green, the wreckage itself will "tell the story," and likely provide many of the answers investigators are seeking.
He added that flight data and cockpit recordings, if recovered, could prove critical in reconstructing the aircraft's final moments.
The involvement of contractors and Boeing employees on the flight could also raise unique legal questions depending on what investigators ultimately determine caused the accident.
Military personnel generally cannot sue the federal government over injuries or deaths that occur in the course of military service because of the Feres doctrine, a longstanding legal precedent. Contractors are not subject to the same restriction, though potential claims could still face significant legal hurdles depending on the circumstances of the crash and the role of any companies involved.
"Unless the manufacturer does something really off, you know on its own that's negligent, they may also have protection from any sort of liability," Green said.
For now, however, Green stressed that determining responsibility remains far down the list of priorities.
The Air Force has not publicly identified a cause of the crash. Investigators are expected to spend weeks and potentially months examining evidence before reaching any conclusions about what brought down one of the military's most iconic aircraft.
