U.S. Rep. George Whitesides (D – Santa Clarita, Palmdale, Lancaster, Antelope Valley) led the House of Representatives in a moment of silence this week alongside Rep. Vince Fong (R-Bakersfield) to honor the eight service members and civilians killed when a B-52 Stratofortress crashed shortly after takeoff during a routine test mission at Edwards Air Force Base on June 15.
The crash occurred at approximately 11:20 a.m. during what officials described as a routine test mission, and remains under investigation. The aircraft had arrived at Edwards in December as the first B-52 to undergo a major radar modernization upgrade intended to keep the aircraft’s planned service life extending through 2050.
Communities across the Antelope Valley, including Lancaster, Rosamond, and Tehachapi, have held vigils and tributes in the days since the crash, reflecting the deep ties between Edwards Air Force Base and the surrounding high desert region it has anchored for decades.
Two of the eight victims were Lancaster residents: Maj. Alexander Davis, 34, a weapon systems officer with the 419th Flight Test Squadron, and Christopher Rischar, 41, a flight test engineer who had worked at the base for a decade as a contractor with JT4.
Rischar leaves behind his wife, Rebecca, and their two teenage children; the couple had met at a church youth group while attending high school together in Lancaster and celebrated their 17th wedding anniversary in April.
Two additional victims lived just across the county line in the same Antelope Valley community Edwards anchors: Jeromy Smith, 32, of Rosamond, and retired Lt. Col. Miles Middleton, 50, of Tehachapi, a Boeing employee and Air Force veteran who served in Afghanistan and is survived by his wife and two children.
The remaining four victims were Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella, 40, of the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center; Maj. Robert Dee, 40, and Maj. Brad Hovey, 35, both pilots with the 419th Flight Test Squadron; and Col. Gregory Watson, 53, a Boeing employee and Air Force reservist from Shreveport, Louisiana.
Col. Thomas Tauer, commander of the 412th Test Wing, addressed Edwards personnel and families directly following the crash.
“It is with profound sorrow and a heavy heart that I can now share the names of the eight extraordinary Americans we lost during Monday’s B-52 crash,” said Col. Thomas Tauer, commander of the 412th Test Wing, who addressed Edwards personnel and families directly following the crash. “They were dedicated professionals, beloved family members and irreplaceable teammates. These Airmen were more than coworkers. They were friends, mentors, teammates and valued members of our Edwards and Air Force family.”
