Smoke rises from a blackened part of Edwards Air Force Base after the crash of a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber aircraft in Edwards, California, U.S., June 15, 2026, in a still image from news helicopter video. ABC Affiliate KABC via REUTERS
The widow of a flight test engineer killed in Monday's B-52 bomber crash at Edwards Air Force Base says her husband knew the aircraft was having problems in the days before the deadly flight.
Monday’s deadly plane crash in California killed all eight of its passengers, including Defense Department contractor Jeromy Smith, who flagged the B-52’s technical difficulties days prior, according to KTLA.
The bomber crashed after departing from Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California, according to reports by The Daily Mail.
Members were conducting a test mission related to a Radar Modernization Program installed in December, said Col. James Hayes, deputy commander of the 412th Test Wing. The accident remains under investigation, as authorities have yet to identify the reason for the aircraft's crash.
Smith’s widow, Lauren Smith, told KTLA her husband was aware the aircraft was malfunctioning. Though she didn’t know what was wrong with the B-52, she was aware the flight kept getting delayed.
“My husband told me on Friday that they were supposed to fly on Friday and that something was wrong with the plane,” Smith said. “I don’t know what was wrong, but the flight kept getting pushed back. He was supposed to fly in the morning and then it got pushed back to noon and then it got pushed back to 2 o’clock. And then they said they’re going to have to fix whatever was wrong with it and that they would fly when it was done.”
Smith was an engineer and father of two and had just purchased a home with his wife.
Among the other victims were a mix of military personnel, government Boeing contractors, and officials.
On Wednesday, the Pentagon identified all eight victims: 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; Jeromy Smith, 32; and Christopher Rischar, 41. The group included Air Force personnel, government civilians and contractors, and Boeing confirmed two of its employees were aboard.
An anonymous Air Force member wrote on a military social media group that maintenance crews were under intense pressure to upgrade the planes quickly and at all costs, according to the Daily Mail.