A B-52 bomber crashed after taking off from an Air Force base in California, according to officials. 

The military aircraft plummeted to the ground just outside of Los Angeles around 11.20am PT on Monday after departing from Edwards Air Force Base. 

It remains unclear if anyone was injured and what caused the accident. 

‘Emergency crews immediately responded to the scene and the situation is ongoing,’ a spokesman for the air base said. 

Plumes of thick black smoke quickly covered the area after the crash in the Mojave Desert.

The airfield was closed and all inbound flights were diverted after the crash, the spokesman said around 12.50pm local time. 

The Daily Mail contacted Edwards Air Force Base for further comment. 

The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is one of the oldest aircraft in the US Air Force’s fleet, first entering service in 1955. It has a wingspan of 185ft, which is almost twice the length of a standard NBA basketball court.

The military aircraft plummeted to the ground around 11.20am PT on Monday after departing from Edwards Air Force Base in California

The aircraft, which is often referred to as ‘the Buff’ or ‘Bug Ugly Fat’, can carry up to 70,000lb of bombs and other military weapons. 

The plane can also hold five crew members, can fly up to 50,000 feet and can refuel mid-air.  

The B-52H, the current version of the bomber plane, was used during missions in the conflict between the US and Iran. 

That specific version can also hold nuclear-armed cruise missiles and nuclear bombs. 

Congressman Jay Obernolte, whose district includes the crash site, said he and his wife ‘are praying for everyone involved in today’s B-52 crash at Edwards Air Force Base, especially the crew, their families, and the first responders on scene.’ 

‘My prayers are with everyone involved in the B-52 crash at Edwards Air Force Base this afternoon,’ Michigan Congresswoman Lisa McClain said. 

A large plume of dark smoke rises into the sky after the plane crash 

The plane, which can hold five crew members, can fly up to 50,000ft and can refuel mid-air

Read More

EXCLUSIVE

My incestuous mom abused me when I was ten… this question our disabled son asked broke my heart

The crash comes nearly two decades after a B-52 crashed in 2008, resulting in the deaths of six Air Force personnel.

The plane plummeted into the Pacific Ocean just off the coast of Guam while preparing for a flyover during a Liberation Day parade. 

An investigation determined that the fatal crash was likely caused by an improper stabilizer trim setting, when the aircraft’s horizontal tail is angled incorrectly. 

The US Air Force and the US Navy worked together to find and retrieve the aircraft’s wreckage from the ocean floor.

There was no flight recorder data available because the plane was not equipped with one.  

Breaking news… updates to follow.