According to officials, the B-52 Stratofortress that crashed on June 15 was conducting a routine test mission and had taken off at 11:20 a.m. local time from a remote air base. Edwards Air Force Base said emergency crews responded quickly to the crash, which left a large plume of black smoke.
The crew included military personnel, government employees and contractors working under government agreements. Boeing, the aircraft's manufacturer, said two of its employees were among those on board.
The B-52 is one of the oldest aircraft still in service with the U.S. Air Force, having entered operational service in 1955. The long-range heavy bomber typically carries a crew of five and can transport up to 70,000 pounds (more than 31 metric tons) of bombs and other munitions.
The current B-52H variant remains a key component of the U.S. Air Force arsenal, which numbered 76 aircraft before the crash. The bomber was recently used in operations against Iran. The B-52H is also capable of carrying nuclear bombs and nuclear-armed cruise missiles.
The last fatal crash involving a B-52 occurred in 2008, when six U.S. Air Force personnel were killed after their aircraft crashed into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Guam during preparations for a military parade.
On March 12, a U.S. Boeing KC-135 tanker aircraft supporting American military operations against Iran crashed in western Iraq.
British newspaper The Guardian initially reported, citing U.S. Central Command, that four military personnel had been killed in the incident. However, The Associated Press later reported, citing the U.S. military, that all six people aboard the aircraft had died.