One of the 8 people killed in B-52 crash at California base had just welcomed new baby

U.S. newsOne of the 8 people killed in B-52 crash at California base had just welcomed new babyAll eight aboard the Stratofortress bomber, conducting a radar system test, died in the crash shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base in California on Monday.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleInvestigation into deadly B-52 bomber crash01:39Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 16, 2026, 6:51 PM EDTBy Liz Kreutz and Phil HelselOne of the eight people who died in the crash of an Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber in California on Monday had recently welcomed a new son, his wife said.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.“My husband just went back to work. He was there for just a week,” Lauren Smith said about her husband, Jeromy Smith. The Department of Defense and Edwards Air Force Base have not released the names of those killed in Monday’s crash, which happened shortly after the plane took off around 11:20 a.m. Members of the military, military civilians and government contractors were on board, officials have said. Boeing confirmed that two of its employees had been killed.The cause of the crash remains under investigation. The aircraft was on a routine test mission supporting a “radar modernization program,” Air Force Col. James Hayes told reporters Monday.An initial gathering of facts can take up to 30 days, and then an accident investigation board will review the crash, Hayes said. It can take six months before the information is gathered and released to next-of-kin and the public, he said.Jeromy Smith.via LinkedInJeromy Smith was a civilian flight test engineer for the Department of Defense and worked on projects at Edwards Air Force Base for 10 years, Lauren Smith said. The Smiths have two children: Fletcher, 2 years old, and Fallon, who was born four months ago.“We did not see this coming,” she said.Jeromy Smith had received the Aerial Achi...