Forum: Mishaps

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23302483/

Early reports say they ejected and are in good condition. Lets hope they stay that way and recover. The crew is in my thoughts and prayers.

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http://www.pacificnewscenter.com/defaul ... er&he=.com

B-2 Bomber Reportedly Crashes At Andersen AFB

A plume of smoke from the B2 bomber on the runway (Photo by PNC)
Pacific News Center Staff Reporter 23.FEB.08
12:00 p.m. Guam - A few details are emerging from the reported crash of a B-2 bomber on the tarmac of Andersen Air Force Base this morning.

Witnesses said the military aircraft crashed before it could take off from the airfield at around 10:45 a.m. The pilots were able to escape with no injuries. Andersen's Fire Department is on the scene, putting out the blaze.

The Pacific News Center will provide updates as it becomes available. Meanwhile, all aircraft scheduled to land at Andersen have been diverted to the Guam International Airport.

Any eyewitnesses with more information are urged to email Pacific News Center via our online hotline

This is the second military aircraft to crash in the region in about two weeks. A Navy Prowler went down in waters north of Guam recently. The pilot and three crew members were able to eject from the aircraft before it crashed to the sea. They were treated at the Navy Hospital. The aircraft, however, was reportedly lost at sea.
- Pacific News Center - Guam, Saipan, CNMI, Asia-Pacific

1 - Infinitely glad the pilots appear to be OK Thumb

2 - Reports have the B-2 valued at $1.2 BILLION Shocked

3 - I hope it wasn't the pilots' fault!

That's one expensive crash. Glad to hear the crew is ok.

I'm 99% sure the B-2 program cost around $44B. Each jet is worth $2B+.

Forum Veteran Joined: Dec 15, 2006 - 12:28 AM Posts: 760

Ouch

parrothead wrote:

I hope it wasn't the pilots' fault!

huggy wrote:

Each jet is worth $2B+.

That would take quite a few paycheck deductions.

LMAggie wrote:

Glad to hear the crew is ok.

That depends on the cause of the mishap, the debriefing is liable to be rather intense and thorough.

If it ends up being human error, their conscience might make death preferable.

I would hate to be on that crew at this point regardless.

They've had a good run up until now.

Stars & Stripes wrote:

In a first, $1.2 billion stealth crashes

HAGATNA, Guam (AP) -- A B-2 stealth bomber plunged to the ground shortly after taking off from an air base in Guam on Saturday, the first time one crashed, but both pilots ejected safely, Air Force officials said.

The aircraft was taking off with three others on their last flight out of Guam after a four-month deployment, part of a continuous U.S. bomber presence in the western Pacific. After the crash, the other three bombers were being kept on Guam, said Maj. Eric Hilliard at Hickham Air Force Base in Hawaii.

At least one B-2 bomber had taken off safely from Andersen Air Force Base but was brought back when another aircraft plunged to the ground.

There were no injuries on the ground or damage to buildings, and no munitions were on board. Each B-2 bomber costs about $1.2 billion to build.

Thick, black smoke could be seen billowing from the wreckage at Andersen, said Jeanne Ward, a resident in the northern village of Yigo who was on the base visiting her husband.

Ward said she didn't witness the crash but noticed a rising plume of smoke behind the base's air control tower.

She said crowds began to gather as emergency vehicles arrived. "Everybody was on their cell phones, and the first thing everyone wanted to know was did the pilots make it out in time," she said.

The Air Force, without identifying the pilots, said one was medically evaluated and released, and the other was in stable condition at Guam Naval Hospital.

A board of officers will investigate what caused the bat-like aircraft to crash at 10:30 a.m., shortly after taking off from a runway. It was the first crash of a B-2 bomber, said Capt. Sheila Johnston, a spokeswoman for Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.

All 21 stealth bombers are based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, but the Air Force has been rotating several of them through Guam since 2004, along with B-1 and B-52 bombers.

The rotations are designed to boost the U.S. security presence in the Asia-Pacific region while other U.S. forces diverted to fight in the Middle East.

The B-2 was first publicly displayed in 1988 and took its first flight a year later. The first bomber was delivered to Whiteman in 1993.

The bombers on Guam were scheduled to return to Missouri now that six B-52s from the 96th Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., have arrived to replace them.

The distinctive B-2 is described as a "multi-role bomber" that blends stealth technology with a highly efficient aerodynamic design. It is able to deliver large payloads at great range and has been used in combat over Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq.

The accident occurred 11 days after a Navy plane crashed into the ocean about 20 miles northeast of Guam's Ritidian Point. Four aircrew members ejected from the EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft and were rescued by helicopter.

Guam is a U.S. territory 3,700 miles southwest of Hawaii.

Source: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/ ... TE=DEFAULT

Whiteman Air Force Base wrote:

B-2 Crashes at Andersen AFB

NOTE: Guam is across the International Date Line. The accident occurred Friday evening EST.

An Air Force B-2 bomber crashed on Andersen AFB Saturday morning local Guam time.

Two pilots from the 509th Bomb Wing were on board and ejected. They have been evaluated by medical authorities and are in good condition.

The B-2 was deployed to Andersen AFB from Whiteman AFB, MO.

Emergency responders are on scene. A board of officers will investigate the accident. More information will be released as soon as it becomes available.

Source: http://www.whiteman.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123087529

As reported on the BBC website

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7260231.stm

The Telegraph wrote:

US B-2 stealth bomber crashes in Guam
By Ben Martin
Last Updated: 10:02am GMT 23/02/2008

An American B-2 stealth bomber - one of the most expensive planes ever made - has crashed, leaving the US military with a £610 million bill.

Two pilots on board the bomber managed to eject safely before the crash, which occurred near Andersean Air Force Base, on the American island territory of Guam, 3,700 miles south-west of Hawaii.

The crash happened shortly after take-off, sending thick black smoke billowing from the wreckage of the plane, which was one of just 21 B-2 bombers in the US Air Force.

One of the pilots was in hospital in a stable condition and the other was released after a brief medical examination, the US Air Force said.

They have been evaluated by medical authorities and are in good condition," it said in a statement.

An inquiry will be held into why the aircraft, which was based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, crashed. The US military would not comment on the purpose of the plane’s doomed flight.

The B-2 bomber can evade most radar signals making it difficult for defensive systems to detect, track and attack.

It has a range of 6,000 nautical miles (6,850 miles) without refuelling and has been used for missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Serbia. Guam - which was captured from Spain by US forces in 1898 - has been a bomber base since March 2004. B-52, B-2 and B-1 bombers deploy on rotation from bases on the US mainland.

The crash came just two days after two F-15C Eagles jet fighters collided off the coast of Florida on Wednesday, killing one pilot.

Both pilots from the single-seat jets ejected from their planes and were rescued after a search by US Coast Guard and local fishing vessels. Both were alive when rescued, but one pilot died soon after.

The US Air Force grounded its about 450 of its 700-strong F-15 fleet in November, after one failed during a training flight in Missouri, forcing a pilot to eject. He survived with minor injuries.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... ber123.xml

Quote:

A B-2 stealth bomber crashed early Saturday on takeoff from the Pacific island of Guam, but its crew members ejected and survived, the US military said in a statement.

The crash would be the first for the B-2, a [Link pending approval] billion dollar radar evading long range bomber that first saw combat in the 1999 air war over Kosovo.

Authorities were investigating the incident.

[Link pending approval]

[Link pending approval]

Glad the pilots made it...and hopefully the media hasn't Effed that one up too.

ATFS_Crash wrote:

If it ends up being human error, their conscience might make death preferable.

I doubt very seriously that it was human error. Something definitely broke on that plane to warrant a bailout. As a crewmember of a heavy, I can assure everyone that bailout is the very last option that we have...as, of course, it should be in any plane...However, heavies have a few more options that our fast mover friends don't typically have.

We can force land in several places fighters can't, and many times, in that case, still have a plane that can be returned to flying status. I reference the C-17 that went down in the mine field in Afghanistan. Luckily, the crew was fine, and the jet didn't plow into any mines. After a 2 year refurbishment, it was back up and flying.

Heavies also typically have a longer time to deal with a problem than a fighter. We aren't flying incredibly fast, so our decisions don't have to be as split-second, as say, a Viper down in the weeds at 500 knots. Also, it's not typically one problem that will bring down a heavy. There are backups to backups that smaller planes just don't have.

My Two Cents

is that heavies can typically deal with an IFE for a lot longer than a fighter. We can utilize time either turning back to base, or looking for alternate landing sites, or roads to bring the plane down. Heavies will try to ride the plane in as often as possible before opting to "pull handles", so to speak. That's why I'm thinking something must have broken shortly after takeoff, and it was something that caused them to not be able to turn around and head back to Andersen. An out of control jet obviously would warrant bailing out of, especially one as expensive as the B-2. Ultimately though, the crews are more valuable than the planes, so I'm sorry the jet's a w/o, but I'm glad the crew made it out safely.

NOTE: Please don't take my words as religion at this point. The investigation will tell all. For now, everything is just speculation, and I'm merely writing what my gut instinct is telling me as a heavy crewmember.

Saw a post over on another forum that made me chuckle. Was talking about the rumor that if the crew of a B-2 tried to pull the handles, the CSAF would pop up on their MPDs telling them that they better try harder Smile

Elite 1K Joined: May 26, 2005 - 08:39 PM Posts: 1496

Glad they got out. What you say makes sense TC, it almost had to be some kind of catastrophic failure on take off. The B-2's flight control system tries really hard to not let the stick actuator even get to a place where he can get in trouble, almost has to be that something broke.

akruse21 wrote:

the rumor that if the crew of a B-2 tried to pull the handles, the CSAF would pop up on their MPDs telling them that they better try harder

Exactly!...and after the CSAF completes the crew briefing, Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer come up on display giving advice on how to find a solution to the emergency. Of course, every time Tom gives his advice, Val snaps back with, "HEY! You are STILL dangerous!"

Forum: Mishaps

Another Aircraft Mishap - B2 Crash