Was This Preventable? New Details Emerge After Repeated Delays Ended in Deadly B-52 Crash, Leaving 8 Dead
A GRIEVING widow has spoken out about the doomed B-52 bomber that killed her husband and seven others – revealing the aircraft had known problems days before it ever left the ground.
Lauren Smith lost her husband Jeromy, a U.S. Air Force flight test engineer, when the bomber went down Monday morning.
Lauren Smith lost her husband Jeromy with their two young sonsCredit: KTLA
Lauren said the aircraft had known problems days before it ever left the groundCredit: KTLA
The crash occurred at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California, killing all eight people on board.
But Lauren told KTLA that trouble signs were there long before takeoff.
She said Jeromy had flagged concerns to her as early as Friday — three days before the fatal flight.
“My husband told me on Friday that they were supposed to fly on Friday and that something was wrong with the plane,” she told the outlet.
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The flight was pushed back repeatedly throughout the day — first from the morning slot, then to noon, then again to 2 pm.
“They said they’re going to have to fix whatever was wrong with it and that they would fly when it was done,” Lauren reported her husband telling her.
The bomber eventually took off Monday at 11:20 am and crashed shortly after.
Officials confirmed the eight-person crew was a mix of military personnel, government civilians and contractors taking part in a local test mission tied to a radar modernization program.
Team Edwards has identified the eight individuals lost during Monday’s B-52 crashCredit: U.S. Air Force
The crash occurred at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California, killing all eight people on boardCredit: KTLA
Team Edwards has now identified the eight people killed in the crash.
They included Col. Gregory Watson, 53, a Boeing weapon systems officer and Air Force reservist from Shreveport, Louisiana.
Watson was assigned to the 10th Air Force at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth in Texas.
Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella, 40, was a weapon systems officer with the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center’s Detachment 5 at Edwards Air Force Base.
Retired Lt. Col. Miles Middleton, 50, was a Boeing pilot from Tehachapi, California.
Maj. Alexander Davis, 34, was a weapon systems officer with the 419th Flight Test Squadron and lived in Lancaster, California.
Maj. Robert Dee, 40, and Maj. Brad Hovey, 35, were pilots with the 419th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base.
Christopher Rischar, 41, was a JT4 contractor and flight test engineer from Lancaster.
“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,” Team Edwards said.
Jeromy is survived by his wife and their two young boys.
Lauren, a teacher, must now raise the children alone while also managing the home the couple had only recently purchased together.
“The sudden loss has left Lauren facing unimaginable grief and uncertainty, as she tries to navigate life for herself and her children,” reads a GoFundMe page set up in her name.
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The page, which has a $500,000 goal, had raised roughly $10,000 as of Tuesday afternoon.
An investigation into the crash remains ongoing.
cre: https://www.the-sun.com/news/16524532/wife-reveals-details-b-52-bomber-crash-killed-8/