Air Force: B-52 jet crash unsurvivable

Colonel, Sam Hoyle with 23ABC. The people on board, were they all military personnel? Were there any civilians? It was Sam, was it?

Yes, sir. Yeah, thank you for that question. This was a mixed crew. This was a mixed crew of military, government civilians and government contractors supporting this test mission. Thank you for that question. Appreciate it.

Can you talk at all about the test mission? No, we don't have the profile or any of that. It was a local test mission that was in execution according to their test plan. That will be made public later.

And can you talk at all about when that plane took off? How long was it in the air for? We can't talk about any of the details of the specifics of the aircraft. All of that's going to be analyzed by the accident investigation board, and that information will come out after that.

--with Air Force base? The crash was totally contained within Edwards Air Force base on the runway.

Colonel, can you talk at all about the experience of those on board war from civilians to airmen? Were these experienced pilots or trainees? Ma'am, I appreciate that question. Right now, we're doing next to kin notifications, and we don't want to release any information about who these individuals are until their families know about it. We'll have that information 24 hours after next of kin notification takes place.

So when was the last time that Edwards Air Force base had a deadly accident? I can't speak to the specifics of when that happened. Just, I don't have that information available to me. It hasn't been within the last three years since I've been here.

How routine is it to have these test missions? Do they happen every month? Every year? Absolutely. Our test missions take place every day, multiple times a day.

This is the first time we've had an accident quite like this in three years? That's correct.

Colonel, can you tell us what the scene on the ground is like right now? Is this a recovery mission? Yes, ma'am. So the initial response is to ensure that we can get the fire out, and that we cordon it off and make it a safe area for everybody, all of our first responders and anybody that might be coming up to the crash site. So that has already undergone. Now it is a recovery operation.

Colonel, can you tell us how many civilians and how many government workers? Again, we're not going to release any specifics as to the makeup of the crew. I can just say at this time that it was a mixed crew of government civilians, government contractors and uniformed military. We'll have those details after we have next-- excuse me-- next of kin notification.

Was there any weaponry aboard that aircraft? No.

How long had the plane that crashed-- how long had it been in service? Again, those details will come out over the next several weeks after we have the investigation to release those public records.

Can you describe the crash scene and just what it looked like? And how were you able to say that it was unsurvivable? It was tragic and unsurvivable is where I'll leave it.

Is the base open for visitors and workers? Yes, we did reopen the ability for individuals to come on base.

And again, you can't talk at all about how high that aircraft got off the ground? That's correct.

Do you know if the black box has been located yet? Again, that's the recovery operation that's undergoing. They'll do everything they can to find that information. And then that will be used by the safety investigation board to determine root cause.

And you say that you have these test flights every day. Given this tragedy, any additional testimony to be provided? Tomorrow, we're terminating operations while we undergo this, mainly because of the runway itself. And we'll eventually get back to full operations and execute. We'll obviously internalize any of the-- whatever information we can from this. But at this point, yes, we are standing down operations tomorrow.

And you are watching as there, the US Air Force is giving a press conference there at Edwards Air Force base in Kern County, California, about this horrible crash of a B-52 fighter jet that crashed earlier today. Now, according to the Air Force, the crash happened immediately after takeoff and just exploded into this wall of flames. They were calling the crash unsurvivable. Eight people were on board that plane, and there was a mix between people that were in the military, some government workers, and even some civilians that were also on that plane. Eight people, they are saying, were on board that fighter jet. Right now, there's the arduous task of notifying family members of the people that were on board. Still no known cause for that crash. And according to the Air Force, it could take up to six months after multiple safety investigations to determine what exactly caused that crash. We're going to stay on top of that for you right here on CBS News 24/7.