Final words B-52 pilot told his wife before doomed SoCal flight

Lt. Col. Gabriel “Journee” Estrella, one of the eight people killed in Monday’s B-52 crash at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California, told his wife before boarding the aircraft how important the mission was to him.

Estrella, 40, a weapons systems officer assigned to the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, had been eagerly anticipating the mission and spoke about it with excitement before the fatal flight, his wife Brianna Nichole revealed in a heartbreaking social media post.

“This particular test flight was one he had been looking forward to,” she wrote. “He told me, ‘It’s a once in a lifetime flight, babe.’

“With a broken heart, I want our family and friends to know that my beloved Lt Colonel Gabriel ‘Journee’ Estrella was one of the eight people on board the B-52 that crashed yesterday, June 15, 2026, here at Edwards AFB,” she wrote. “He died doing what he loved.”

Nichole described Estrella as “the most incredible man” who “loved his family fiercely” and was passionate about his military career.

“He woke up every day excited to go to work,” she wrote. “He would tell anyone who would listen that being a Weapons Systems Officer was his dream job, and that he was fortunate enough to do what he loved every single day.”

The couple shared three children, including young daughter Sunny, whom Nichole said adored her father.

“Our sweet Sunny girl… I will tell her every single day how deeply her Dada loved her and what a wonderful man he was,” she wrote. “It breaks my heart knowing she will have to grow up without him, but I know he will always be with her.”

She said their sons Noah and Elijah were also grappling with the devastating loss.

“Noah and Elijah are feeling this loss profoundly,” she wrote. “Gabe helped shape the men they are today, and the immense love he had for the boys was evident to everyone who knew our family.”

Nichole ended her tribute with an emotional message to her husband.

“I don’t know how I will live each day without you. You were my best friend,” she wrote. “I will love you forever, babe. Thank you for the beautiful life we built together. Stay with me. Walk beside me.

“Our hearts are shattered,” she added. “He is, and always will be, our hero.”

Military officials have not yet released details on what caused the crash, which occurred during a test flight at Edwards Air Force Base, located around 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles. An investigation is underway.

The other victims named Wednesday include Col. Gregory Watson, 53; Retired Lt. Col. Miles Middleton, 50; Maj. Alexander Davis, 34; Maj. Robert Dee, 40; Maj. Brad Hovey, 35; Jeromy Smith, 32; and Christopher Rischar, 41, according to a statement from Edwards Air Force Base.

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