(KMJ) Officials at Edwards Air Force Base have identified those who were killed in the crash of a B-52 Bomber this week in Kern County.
“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 news release. “They were dedicated professionals, beloved family members and irreplaceable teammates.”
The fallen service members are:
- 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.
- Maj. Brad Hovey, 35, 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.
The cause of the deadly crash remains under investigation.
