\n The couple had celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary days before the fatal incident, she said.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cHe\u2019s a hero. He is someone that people look up to, and just an all-around amazing person,\u201d she told the station. \u201cHe died doing what he loved.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
\n Lauren Smith said she learned about the crash from a friend and knew it involved her husband\u2019s plane. But she didn\u2019t get the official notification until hours later.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cI went the whole day just hoping and praying that he was OK,\u201d she told the station.\n <\/p>\n
\n Lauren Smith said officials told her it could be six months before they know what caused the crash. But she told the station her husband \u2014 who worked at the base for 10 years \u2014 was supposed to fly earlier in the week, but the flight kept getting pushed back.\n <\/p>\n
\n In a previous statement, Lauren Smith said her husband had been involved in several missions and that bomber planes were his second love.\n <\/p>\n
\n She added that while she is \u201cstill processing\u201d what happened, she hopes her sons will remember their father as a hero.\n <\/p>\n
\n \u201cI want them to know how much that my husband loved his country, and how much he\u2019s done for this community,\u201d she told the station.\n <\/p>\n
\n Boeing, the manufacturer of the plane, said two of its employees were on Monday\u2019s flight. \u201cWe are in contact with their families and are offering support,\u201d Boeing said in a release.\n <\/p>\n
\n Secretary of the Air Force Troy E. Meink and House Speaker Mike Johnson both<\/a> shared<\/a> their condolences on social media about the lives lost. California Gov. Gavin Newsom also offered<\/a> his sympathies to \u201cthe entire Edwards Air Force Base community\u201d and thanked first responders.\n <\/p>\n Col. James Hayes addresses the press after deadly B-52 crash\n <\/p>\n Col. James Hayes addresses the press after deadly B-52 crash<\/p>\n 1:41<\/p>\n \n The base\u2019s runway was left with a large blackened scar and residual smoke, but it was difficult to make out any distinct parts of the wreckage, video from CNN affiliate KCAL\/KCBS<\/a> shows.\n <\/p>\n \n The base has reopened, Hayes said Monday, and officials said the airfield will remain closed \u201cuntil at least Thursday,\u201d with flight test operations to begin again early next week. There were several fires that restarted overnight at the crash site, and maintenance and Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams are helping ensure the area is safe for the search and recovery team to come in, said Mary Becerra, a spokesperson for the base.\n <\/p>\n \n Military officials will investigate what happened, but the exact details won\u2019t be available to the public for about six months, Hayes said.\n <\/p>\n \n The base established a center<\/a> to help provide resources to service members and their families in the aftermath of the tragedy.\n <\/p>\n \n Edwards Air Force Base is historically used as a testing site \u2013 not just for Air Force planes, but for other aircraft, helicopters, drones and even space shuttles because of its long runways.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIf it flies, it\u2019s tested at Edwards Air Force Base,\u201d said Richard Kolko, a retired US Navy commander and pilot. \u201cIt\u2019s got some of the best test pilots and best engineers out there.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Test flights typically go up with some of the most seasoned pilots and air crew available, and \u2013 depending on what is being tested \u2013 civilian engineers or manufacture personnel as well, Kolko said. The base also has a robust emergency response team for any accidents, he added.\n <\/p>\n Plume of smoke in the area where a B-52 bomber crashed in California\n <\/p>\n Plume of smoke in the area where a B-52 bomber crashed in California<\/p>\n 0:25<\/p>\n \n The base\u2019s rich history as a test site has also been punctuated by tragedies. According to the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives<\/a>, an international database of aviation crashes, the deadly crashes at Edwards include:\n <\/p>\n In 1951, all eight people on board a B-50 flight to test equipment died when the aircraft crashed in mountains about 25 miles southeast of Edwards.<\/p>\n In 1948, four people were killed when an Air Force-operated DC-3 encountered a rainstorm and crashed while descending toward Edwards.<\/p>\n In 1944, nine people were killed after an Army Air Forces B-24 left Edwards for a training exercise. \u201cIn unknown circumstances, the four engine aircraft crashed in a desert area\u201d about 35 miles east of Edwards, the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives said.<\/p>\n In 1941, all six crew members aboard an Army Air Forces twin-engine B-26 were killed shortly after takeoff when the plane stalled, crashed and burst into flames.<\/p>\n \n Edwards also was one of the sites for US space shuttle landings. In the program\u2019s early years, Edwards was the primary shuttle landing site \u2013 the desert lakebed surrounding the runway gave an extra margin of safety \u2013 until NASA became comfortable landing shuttles in Florida.\n <\/p>\n \n The B-52 is one of the Air Force\u2019s oldest aircraft and first entered service in 1955. The long-range heavy bomber, which typically carries a crew of five, can carry as much as 70,000 pounds of bombs and other munitions.\n <\/p>\n \n The currently flown version, the B-52H, still plays a major role in the Air Force\u2019s fleet, which included 76 of the aircraft before the crash. It was used in bombing missions during the current US-Iran conflict and is capable of carrying nuclear bombs and nuclear-armed cruise missiles.\n <\/p>\n \n Monday\u2019s crash happened during a test flight supporting the B-52 Radar Modernization Program. The goal of the program is to \u201cmodernize the B-52 as its planned service life now extends through 2050 and potentially beyond\u201d while the aircraft \u201cbecomes the long-range strike complement to the Air Force\u2019s newest strategic bomber, the B-21 Raider<\/a>,\u201d the Air Force said<\/a> in December.\n <\/p>\n \n Along with a new radar, B-52s \u201care scheduled to receive additional upgrades, including new engines, crew compartments, conventional and nuclear communication systems, avionics, weapons and other capabilities.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Before Monday\u2019s crash, the most recent fatal accident involving the aircraft was in 2008, when six Air Force personnel were killed after their B-52 crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Guam while preparing for a parade flyover.\n <\/p>\n \n The Boeing-made bomber has not been in production since 1962, though several life-extension initiatives have modernized the airframe and kept it flying. The Air Force recently launched another B-52 upgrade initiative centered around designing new engines with a total expected price tag of $48.6 billion, according to Defense News.\n <\/p>\n![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/screenshot-2026-06-15-at-10-19-20-pm.png\")
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