Air Force releases the names of the 8 people in the deadly B-52 crash at Edwards

Authorities have released the identities of the eight people who were killed when a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress crashed after taking off from Edwards Air Force Base on Monday. 

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The Boeing B-52 heavy bomber went down just before 11:30 a.m. during a “routine test mission,” according to a news release from the base. The people on the aircraft were identified as: Col. Gregory Watson, 53; Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella, 40; retired Lt. Col. Miles Middleton, 50; Maj. Alexander Davis, 34; Maj. Robert Dee, 40; Maj. Brad Hovey, 35; flight test engineer Jeromy Smith, 32; and flight test engineer Christopher Rischar, 41. 

The group consisted of weapon systems officers, pilots and flight test engineers, according to the base’s Facebook post. Watson and Middleton were also both Boeing employees. Col. Thomas Tauer, commander of the 412th Test Wing, called the group “dedicated professionals, beloved family members and irreplaceable teammates.”

“Our thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathies are with their families, loved ones and fellow Airmen, Air Force civilians and mission partners affected by this tragedy,” Tauer said in a statement.

It’s unclear what led up to the crash, which is under investigation by an Interim Safety Investigation Board. The airfield is closed “until further notice,” the base said on Facebook.

According to flight tracking data viewed by PBS, the plane did a near 180-degree turn and subsequently plunged to the ground at almost a mile a minute. That speed is about 10 times faster than normal, the news outlet reported. 

The B-52 first entered service with the Air Force in 1955. The largest bomber in the Air Force’s fleet, it is expected to keep flying through 2050.

One of the victims, Rischar, had worked for the base for 10 years, his wife, Rebecca Rischar, told the Associated Press. The couple was married for 17 years, and they have two children, who are 15 years old and 14 years old, the outlet reported. 

“Our marriage is not just for this life here on Earth but for eternity, so we are sealed together,” she told AP News. 

Several GoFundMe pages have also surfaced for the families, including one for Smith’s family. According to the fundraiser page, created by Smith’s sister-in-law, he is survived by his wife and two sons, who are only 2.5 years and 4 months old. 

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Smith’s wife, Lauren Smith, told KBAK-TV that “he died doing what he loved.” Lauren said the two of them celebrated their wedding anniversary just days before the crash happened. When she turned on the news, she said she knew it was her husband’s plane that went down.

“I went the whole day just hoping and praying that he was OK,” Lauren told the outlet. 

The fundraiser for her family has raised more than $50,000 out of its $125,000 goal as of Wednesday afternoon. 

A GoFundMe for Middleton’s family was created by a family friend and as raised more than $123,000 out of its $140,000 goal. The family friend said for Middleton’s wife, Pam, a “road ahead is filled with uncertainty and challenges.”

“Pam Middleton and her two children are facing an unimaginable loss,” the friend wrote. 

The family of Robert Dee has also created a fundraiser, which has raised more than $43,000 of its $60,000 goal. The family said Dee “dedicated his life to serving his country” and that his wife, Ashlee, is facing the “heartbreaking reality” of raising their three children alone.