CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCCI) – One of the eight B-52 bomber crash victims at Edwards Airforce Base in California this week was an Iowa native, KCCI reports. The Iowa native has been identified as 35-year-old Maj. Brad Hovey of Algona.
The bomber crashed shortly after takeoff at the Mojave Desert-based Air Force base, killing all eight people on board. Officials have yet to determine the cause of the crash and said it could take six months to complete the investigation.
The other 7 victims included:
- Col. (select) Gregory Watson, 53, weapon systems officer, Boeing (Air Force reservist, assigned 10th Air Force, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas), Shreveport, La.
- Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella, 40, weapon systems officer, Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Detachment 5, Edwards AFB, Calif.
- Retired Lt. Col. Miles Middleton, 50, pilot, Boeing, Tehachapi, Calif.
- Maj. Alexander Davis, 34, weapon systems officer, 419th Flight Test Squadron, Lancaster, Calif.
- Maj. Robert Dee, 40, pilot, 419th Flight Test Squadron, Edwards AFB, Calif.
- Jeromy Smith, 32, flight test engineer, 419th Flight Test Squadron, Rosamond, Calif.
- Christopher Rischar, 41, flight test engineer, JT4 contractor, Lancaster, Calif.
