The victims included active-duty airmen, a reservist, and civilian aerospace professionals assigned to one of the Air Force’s premier flight test programs.
The 412th Test Wing said the names were released after next of kin were notified and the required 24-hour waiting period had passed.
“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,” Col. Thomas Tauer, 412th Test Wing Commander, said in a statement released by Edwards Air Force Base on June 17. “They were dedicated professionals, beloved family members and irreplaceable teammates.”
The Fallen Team Edwards Members
Tauer said these airmen were "more than coworkers."“They were friends, mentors, teammates and valued members of our Edwards and Air Force family,” he said.
“Our immediate focus is supporting the families of the teammates we lost and ensuring that all appropriate resources are available to them during this time of unimaginable loss.”
The fallen Team Edwards members were identified as: Col. Gregory Watson, 53; Retired Lt. Col. Miles Middleton, 50; Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella, 40; Maj. Alexander Davis, 34; Maj. Robert Dee, 40; Maj. Brad Hovey, 35; Jeromy Smith, 32; and Christopher Rischar, 41.
The Air Force said the aircraft was assigned to a testing program supporting modernization of the aging B-52 fleet. The bomber arrived at Edwards in December 2025 after getting an upgraded radar system, and was being used to evaluate technology that would help the aircraft stay operational for decades.
The crash is currently under investigation by an interim safety board. The airfield is closed until further notice, the Air Force stated.
The B-52 Stratofortress entered service in 1955 and remains a key component of the U.S. military's long-range bomber fleet. Edwards Air Force Base, in California's Mojave Desert, serves as the Air Force's primary center for developmental flight testing.