Eight people are dead after an $85 million, nuclear-capable B-52 Stratofortress crashed in a huge explosion at California’s Edwards Air Force Base, officials said Monday afternoon.

A massive cloud of black smoke appeared in the skies above Kern County after the enormous military jet smashed into the ground shortly after takeoff Monday morning.

Other images showed the smoldering remains of the aircraft with a massive black shadow across the site where it made impact.

Several hours later, the base announced eight people had been killed in the crash.

“An Air Force B-52 Stratofortress carrying eight people on a routine test mission crashed today shortly after take-off at 11:20 a.m. Initial indications are that the crash was not survivable. Emergency response personnel are on scene, and officials are working to account for all personnel,” a statement read.

Col. James Hayes called the crash “tragic and unsurvivable” in a press conference Monday afternoon. Hayes announced the eight people on board included a mix of uniformed military personnel, government civilians and government contractors. The plane was on a test mission.

Hayes said the aircraft went down “immediately” after takeoff and the crash was contained within the Air Force base. Hayes added it will take several months to determine a cause for the crash, but that multiple tests like the one that led to the crash happen every day.

“My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and the entire Edwards Air Force Base community impacted by this tragic incident. Grateful to the first responders and emergency crew currently on the ground,” Gov. Gavin Newsom posted about the crash Monday night.

The base posted on X just after noon: “A United States Air Force B-52 Stratofortress crashed shortly after takeoff on the Edwards airfield at 11:20 a.m.

“Emergency crews immediately responded to the scene and the situation is ongoing. More information will be provided as it becomes available.”

In an update, it added: “The airfield has been closed, and all inbound aircraft are being diverted. All non-commercial visitor passes have been suspended until further notice to allow the installation to focus entirely on emergency response operations.”

“Heather and I are praying for everyone involved in today’s B-52 crash at Edwards Air Force Base, especially the crew, their families, and the first responders on scene,” local Congressman Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) said.

After the initial explosion, one social media user wrote: “Did something just happen at Edwards Air Force Base? Currently seeing a large column coming from the base, cams are aligned with one of the runways.”

The B-52 Stratofortress has been operated by the United States Air Force since 1955. It was designed and built by Boeing to carry up to 70,000 pounds of weapons and can travel about 8,800 miles (the distance from New York City to Auckland, New Zealand) without refueling.

A B-52 Stratofortress equipped with a newly upgraded radar system arrived at Edwards Air Force Base from Boeing’s facility in San Antonio back in December, as part of an effort to modernize the bombers.

The new radar system installed in the planes was part of a wider modernization effort aimed at improving the B-52’s performance to keep the aircraft useable for decades.

Edwards Air Force Base was the Mojave Desert test site where Tom Cruise’s Maverick hit Mach 10 at the beginning of “Top Gun: Maverick.”

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