A grieving widow has spoken out about the deadly B-52 bomber crash that killed eight people at Edwards Air Force Base in California, revealing that her husband had warned her days earlier that the aircraft involved was already showing signs of trouble.

Lauren Smith lost her husband, Jeromy Smith, a U.S. Air Force flight test engineer, when the strategic bomber went down shortly after takeoff on Monday morning during what officials described as a routine radar modernization test mission.

All eight crew members on board were killed in the crash, which has since been described by investigators as a catastrophic and “unsurvivable” incident. Emergency response teams were immediately dispatched to the remote stretch of Edwards Air Force Base, where the wreckage was later found burning.

But according to Lauren Smith, the warning signs were present long before the aircraft ever left the runway.

Speaking to KTLA, she said her husband had expressed concern as early as Friday — just days before the fatal flight — after the mission was repeatedly delayed due to unspecified technical issues.

“My husband told me on Friday that they were supposed to fly on Friday and that something was wrong with the plane,” she said in the interview.

She described how the planned takeoff was pushed back multiple times that day, first from the morning to midday, then again into the afternoon, as crews worked to address what officials referred to as a maintenance-related issue.

“They said they’re going to have to fix whatever was wrong with it and that they would fly when it was done,” Lauren recalled her husband telling her before he left for what would be his final mission.

Despite the delays, the B-52 Stratofortress eventually took off at approximately 11:20 a.m. local time on Monday. Moments later, something went catastrophically wrong. The aircraft crashed shortly after departure, sending a thick plume of smoke into the sky over the testing range.

Base officials confirmed that the crew included a combination of Air Force personnel, civilian employees, and defense contractors assigned to the radar modernization program — a high-priority initiative aimed at upgrading the aging strategic bomber fleet.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, Team Edwards released the names of the eight individuals who lost their lives, describing them as highly trained professionals engaged in critical national defense work.

Among them was Col. Gregory Watson, 53, a Boeing weapon systems officer and Air Force reservist from Louisiana, as well as Lt. Col. Gabriel Estrella, 40, a member of the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center stationed at Edwards.

Also killed were retired Lt. Col. Miles Middleton, 50, a Boeing pilot; Maj. Alexander Davis, 34; Maj. Robert Dee, 40; Maj. Brad Hovey, 35; and Christopher Rischar, 41, a contractor flight test engineer. Each had extensive experience in aviation testing and military operations.

Officials have emphasized that the investigation is still in its early stages, and it may take months before a full determination is made about what caused the crash. Early statements from base leadership suggest that the aircraft was part of a complex test program involving upgraded radar systems, a process that often requires extensive ground checks and multiple postponements before flight clearance.

For Lauren Smith, however, those delays now carry a painful new meaning.

She says her husband’s concerns were not unusual in a job that routinely involved high-risk testing, but the repeated postponements of the flight stood out in hindsight.

The crash occurred at Edwards Air Force Base, a site long known for experimental aviation testing, where some of the most advanced and sensitive aircraft in the U.S. military inventory are evaluated. The base has historically been used for everything from fighter jet trials to space shuttle landings, and is considered one of the most secure and technically advanced flight testing environments in the world.

Following Monday’s incident, operations at the base were temporarily scaled back as emergency crews secured the wreckage and investigators began collecting evidence from the crash site. A large section of the runway was left scorched, with debris scattered across the desert terrain.

Lauren, who works as a teacher, is now left to raise the couple’s two young sons alone after the sudden loss of her husband. The family had recently purchased a new home together, a milestone she says now feels painfully unfinished.

According to a fundraising page set up to support the family, the emotional and financial toll has been devastating. The page describes Lauren as facing “unimaginable grief and uncertainty” as she tries to rebuild life for her children in the aftermath of the tragedy.

The campaign has set a goal of $500,000 to help cover living expenses, childcare, and long-term support for the family, though donations had reached only a fraction of that total as of Tuesday afternoon.

Friends, colleagues, and fellow military families have since begun sharing tributes online, describing Jeromy Smith as a dedicated engineer and devoted father who took pride in his role supporting critical aviation programs.

The B-52 bomber involved in the crash is one of the oldest active aircraft in the U.S. Air Force fleet, first entering service in the 1950s but repeatedly upgraded over the decades to extend its operational life. Despite its age, it remains a central component of America’s long-range strike capability and continues to be used in both training and operational missions.

Military officials say the ongoing investigation will examine maintenance records, flight data, and communications from the moments leading up to takeoff. Experts have also been brought in to analyze whether the earlier technical delays could have indicated a deeper mechanical issue.

For now, the Air Force has described the incident as one of the most serious test flight accidents in recent years, underscoring the risks associated with maintaining and modernizing decades-old strategic aircraft.

As investigators work to piece together the final moments of the flight, Lauren Smith is left with memories of a conversation she never expected would become the last.

What was once a routine test mission has now become a national tragedy — and a deeply personal loss for a family that never saw it coming.