B-2 Stealth Bomber Crashes on Guam

[twinstarda42]

B-2 Stealth Bomber Crashes on Guam
1 hour ago

HAGATNA, Guam (AP) "â€￾ A B-2 stealth bomber crashed at an air base on Guam but both pilots ejected safely and were in good condition, the Air Force said.

Thick black smoke could be seen billowing from the wreckage at Andersen Air Force Base, said Geanne 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 Saturday morning local time.

"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.

A board of officers will investigate the accident.

Each B-2 bomber costs about $1.2 billion to build. 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 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.


http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gwMpLqX...CKYGLgD8UVPOEG3

[AlisterC]

Sheesh!! I hope they are insured :S That's a lot of plane to lose. Thanks for the info!

[ardypilot]

Just saw that on 3news- reckon those pilots will be fired if they can't pay the airforce back the $1.2 bill!

[pois0n]

That's an expensive crash...

[chickenman]

I've always looked at those planes and thought that they are about as aerodynamic as a piece of toast. I imagine that if anything goes wroong with them they are the sort of plane you bail out of straight away.

The insurance will cover the $1.2b plane but not the $800,000 fuel in it!

[Ian Warren]

John Travolta and Christan Slater at it again

[Alex]

Which makes you think, what sort of premiums would the USAF pay to the insurers; probably thinking big.

Alex

[AlisterC]

I heard a rumour that if just one of these aircraft was lost in combat in any given campaign, they would be grounded from participating in that particular theatre of war anyway. After all, it is the $$ equivilent of losing an aircraft carrier. Not a mistake they would want to make more than once I'm guessing!
As I posted in another forum, the US would really be better off using one of these to do the same mission with Tomahawk cruise missiles, and they are only $1 billion a pop compared to the bomber at $1.2 billion
http://www.navysite.de/cg/cg73.html - yes I love naval warships too

[ardypilot]

Footage of the crash was finally released today: http://www.break.com/index/b2-stealth-bomber-crashes.html

[victor_alpha_charlie]

QUOTE (Trolly @ Jun 9 2008, 08:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Footage of the crash was finally released today: http://www.break.com/index/b2-stealth-bomber-crashes.html

And here I was thinking another one had crashed in the same place

[Fauville]

Ouch, apparently moisture in 3 of the flight sensors caused it to pitch up on TO, after that the PC was in control

I like this one too, sounds like a real Jet

http://www.break.com/index/f117_stealth_model_crashes.html

[Ian Warren]

brilliant models ... one very sim with a B52 , so much effort and to have experience , almost as if real people were in control .... Radio control AC

[Daniel]

Ouch
It didnt look too bad at first. Lucky they ejected though
But with those aircraft it the computers fail they really are doomed
The computers keep the planes like that in the air.

Cheers
Daniel

[yak52dude]

QUOTE (Daniel @ Jun 10 2008, 07:32 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ouch
It didnt look too bad at first. Lucky they ejected though
But with those aircraft it the computers fail they really are doomed
The computers keep the planes like that in the air.

Cheers
Daniel

I'd say.
The problem with the b-2 is if you use it you can't afford to lose it hence they are a bit of a white elephant

[Charl]

QUOTE (Fauville @ Jun 9 2008, 11:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I like this one too, sounds like a real Jet
http://www.break.com/index/f117_stealth_model_crashes.html

The F-117 is not hand flyable (just like the F-16) in any case!
No wonder the model is $30k, you'd need some pretty sophisticated electronics to keep it aloft.
Canopy loss probably not within the programming envelope...
Nice find, FV!

[Fauville]

QUOTE (Ian Warren @ Jun 14 2008, 11:23 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

brilliant models ... one very sim with a B52 , so much effort and to have experience , almost as if real people were in control .... Radio control AC

I've done a bit of slope gliding RC, with a big flying wing with winglets for stability, but never taken the next step further, ain't got $30K to throw around