B-2 Crashes On Guam

Stitch · 02-23-2008, 02:07 AM

Dunno if you've all heard or not, but the first crash of a B-2 bomber has been reported from Guam.

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

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.

Thick, black smoke could be seen billowing from the wreckage at Andersen Air Force Base, 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.

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 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 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."

Quoted from the Associated Press via MSNBC.

glyn · 02-23-2008, 06:33 AM

I'm glad to hear that the crew punched out safely. I expect it will be quite some time for the accident investigation board to reach a conclusion, and it is likely that for security reasons only a sanitised version of their findings will be released to the public.

VarSity · 02-23-2008, 06:50 AM

These things must have racked up one hell of alot of flight hours over the years.

Hope this is a one off.

Silent Hunter · 02-23-2008, 08:06 AM

Not all that many, VarSity. Glad the crew survived.

Am I right in thinking the B-2 is a write-off?

art · 02-23-2008, 12:08 PM

Greetings from Guam!

WoW!! I feel the same way, I'm glad the pilots were able to eject on time, I was at the PX in Anderson Base when the crash occured. The Air Force locked down the base for security reasons deverting all military flights to the local airport.

Bluesman · 02-23-2008, 12:11 PM

Hey, art. Welcome aboard. Kindly head over to the 'Intros' forum and let us know who you are, a bit about yourself, how you came to be with us, etc. THEN come on back and fill in some details. Cool?

GAU-8 · 02-23-2008, 14:11 PM

"but both pilots ejected safely and were in good condition, the Air Force said."

They won't be "in good condition" long unless they are female or minorities. Glad they still have their health if not their careers.

Art,

Thanks for the on-scene update. Let us know what kind of hazmat mess the crash site turns out to be.

glyn · 02-23-2008, 15:07 PM

According to the TV news summary the aircraft caught fire immediately after take-off. Their careers may not be in jeopardy.

Blademaster · 02-23-2008, 16:04 PM

Well if you ever want to see $2 billion dollars disappear in smoke, well heeeeeeeeeeeeere's your chance of seeing it!!!!!

Bella · 02-23-2008, 23:17 PM

If the aircraft caught fire immediatly after take-off, I makes me wonder if a bird got caught up in the jet intake??

Alyeska · 02-24-2008, 08:32 AM

Well, over at navytimes.com/news they're reporting that the aircraft was completely destroyed, so no hope of recovery/repair.

Crap.

Is it 2018 yet?

Bella · 02-25-2008, 00:40 AM

Well.........I guess after almost 20 years in service and countless amount of hours in combat, you really can't complain..............!!!!!!!
..............Except for the 1.2 billion dollar price tag!!...........ouch!

Adux · 02-25-2008, 04:21 AM

Quote:

What Really Happened To The B2, Spirit of Kansas
Some new information has come to light over the B2 crash. For those with short attention spans, the B2 was the stealth bomber that crashed in Guam. The Air Force tried to blame the incident on a collision with a Gooney Bird. However, control tower tapes that recorded the blasts (a small one at first, then a much larger one two minutes later) cast doubt on these claims. A whistle blower within the Air Force has leaked that the crew of the B2 was testing a new type of smart bomb when the accident occurred. It seemed very likely that the test didn't go quite as planned.

The pilots ejected safely before the B2 crashed, salvage crews were able to recover a 'Black Box' from the stealth bomber, which contained detailed accounts of the events leading up to the explosion. As luck would have it, we got a copy of those tapes.
It turns out that the stealth bomber crew was trying to load Microsoft Vista on their fire control computer. Their intent was to replace the aging DOS operating system with the flashier Windows OS. Apparently, the Air Force didn't know about the legendary stability problems exhibited by Windows. The log tapes make this painfully obvious:

Pilot: Is the new fire control Windows OS installed yet?

Co-pilot: Almost Sir. We just need to finish filling out the registration card.

Pilot: Excellent. Soon we will be able to point and click our enemies into oblivion.

[Evil laughter in background]

Co-pilot: Pilot! It is booting! Look, it says "Preparing to run Windows for the first time".

[Long pause]

Co-pilot: Arrgh! Sir, it wants me to reboot again. That makes the 27th time.

Pilot: Hmmm. This is not encouraging. Go ahead and reboot again.

Co-pilot: Yes Sir.

[Another long pause]

Co-pilot: Pilot, it is up again. It says it found new hardware ... A CD-ROM drive and that it needs drivers.

Pilot: Where are the drivers?

Co-pilot: On the CD-ROM.

Pilot: You are joking, right?

Co-pilot: No Sir.

Pilot: Reboot the damn thing again. I am starting not to like this Windows Vista.

[Another long pause]

Co-pilot: Sir! It is back! It says it found the Whissbang2000 Smart bomb and is looking for the device drivers. Do we have a driver disk?

Pilot: I do not think so.

Co-pilot: I will tell it to use the default drivers.

[another long pause]

Co-pilot: Crap. It wants to reboot again.

Pilot: How many times are we going to reboot today? This is taking forever. Our fuel supply is going to run out before this works.

[Another long pause]

Co-pilot: Sir! It is up and this time it is not asking for anything!

Pilot: Really? No device drivers? No registration cards? No user profiles?

Co-pilot: No Sir. I think it is ready.

Pilot: Good work. Now click on the fire control icon and let us see how this works.

Co-pilot: Clicking now, Sir.

[Another long pause]

Pilot: Why does the fire control screen have a dancing paper clip on it?

Co-pilot: I have no idea Sir.

Pilot: Hmmm, well try clicking on the menu.

Co-pilot: Yes Sir. Let us see; Open E-mail, Spam a friend, Mail a Virus, Drop a Smart bomb.

Pilot: We will spam a friend later. Let us drop a smart bomb.

Co-pilot: Yes Sir.

[Another long pause]

Co-pilot: It is asking us to arm the smart bomb and to click when ready.

Pilot: Arm a smart bomb in bomb bay number 1!

[Intercom:] The smart bomb is armed Sir.

Pilot: Click on the continue button.

Co-pilot: Yes Sir.

[Another long pause]

Co-pilot: It is asking for a target Sir.

Pilot: Hmmm, target the Rainbow Warrior.

Co-pilot: Yes Sir. Damn! It says the smart bomb is low on ink.

Pilot: Click ignore. We will get some ink when we return to base.

Co-pilot: Yes Sir. We are ready to drop.

Pilot: Very good. You may drop when ready.

Co-pilot: Smart bomb away Sir.

[Another really long pause]

Pilot: Well?

Co-pilot: I am trying Sir. Nothing is happening. Wait a minute...

[A loud explosion is heard in the background followed by screaming on intercom]

Pilot: WTF was that?!?!?

Co-pilot: Pilot! A new screen has appeared! "Outlook Express Fire Control has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down. Click 'OK' to continue."

Co-pilot: Oh my God! The paper clip has died! What should I do?

Pilot: Shut it down! Shut it down!

Co-pilot: It is not responding Sir!

Pilot: Try 'CTRL-ALT-DELETE'!

Co-pilot: Yes Sir. We are in luck! The task manager is still operating. I am instructing the task manager to shut down Outlook Fire Control.

[Another long pause]

Co-pilot: The task manager says that Outlook Fire Control is not responding.

Pilot: Well no ****. Tell it to 'end task'.

Co-pilot: Nothing is happening Sir.

Pilot: Try 'CTRL-ALT-DELETE' again.

Co-pilot: Yes Sir.

[Sounds of frantic pecking on keyboard.]

Co-pilot: Oooh! What a pretty blue screen!

Pilot: Holy ****! Not the blue screen of dea....

[ KABLAM! A really big explosion. More screaming, eject, eject, eject and the sound of rushing air.]

The tape ends at this point. During the rescue effort, Search and Rescue pilots reported hearing the same message from both downed pilots. The rescuers couldn't understand why both pilots would keep repeating "WINDOWS SUCKS" over their rescue radios. The tapes of the last moments of the B2 may offer some insight into this.

Vista anyone!!!!

somak11 · 02-25-2008, 11:01 AM

I think the media is making a huge fuss about this..ok it is a billion dollar machine...but technical snags do happen....even the space shuttles have them at times.. And compared to what other aircrafts in other airforces face..I'll say the B-2 has a pretty good record.
regards.

Skull6 · 02-25-2008, 16:06 PM

While I do appreciate ADUX's humorous attempt at an explanation, I think I'd rather wait until the findings are put forth. & I am also glad that both crew members made it out safely. $1.2B might seem like a lot of money, but it's chump-change when I remember that we can't buy back human life--times two, in this situation, imho.

02-23-2008, 02:07 AM	#1 (permalink)
Stitch Regular Join Date: 11-14-06 Location: Patterson, CA Posts: 37 Country:	B-2 Crashes On Guam Dunno if you've all heard or not, but the first crash of a B-2 bomber has been reported from Guam. "HAGATNA, Guam - A B-2 stealth bomber crashed Saturday at an air base on Guam, but both pilots ejected safely and were in good condition, the Air Force said. 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. Thick, black smoke could be seen billowing from the wreckage at Andersen Air Force Base, 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. 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 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 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." Quoted from the Associated Press via MSNBC.

02-23-2008, 06:33 AM	#2 (permalink)
glyn *Military Professional* Join Date: 09-15-06 Location: Penzance, Cornwall UK Posts: 5,875	I'm glad to hear that the crew punched out safely. I expect it will be quite some time for the accident investigation board to reach a conclusion, and it is likely that for security reasons only a sanitised version of their findings will be released to the public. __________________ Semper in excretum. Solum profunda variat.

02-23-2008, 08:06 AM	#4 (permalink)
Silent Hunter Contributor Join Date: 08-09-07 Location: London, UK Posts: 471 Country:	Not all that many, VarSity. Glad the crew survived. Am I right in thinking the B-2 is a write-off? Last edited by Silent Hunter : 02-23-2008 at 13:08 PM.

02-23-2008, 12:11 PM	#6 (permalink)
Bluesman WAB Bartender *Defense Professional* *Military Professional* Join Date: 11-24-04 Location: Vacaville, CA. Posts: 7,311 Country:	Hey, art. Welcome aboard. Kindly head over to the 'Intros' forum and let us know who you are, a bit about yourself, how you came to be with us, etc. THEN come on back and fill in some details. Cool? __________________ "The quickest way of ending a war is to lose it, and if one finds the prospect of a long war intolerable, it is natural to disbelieve in the possibility of victory." - George Orwell

02-23-2008, 14:11 PM	#7 (permalink)
GAU-8 Old Cold Warrior *Military Professional* Join Date: 02-14-07 Location: Grapevine, Texas Posts: 352 Country:	"but both pilots ejected safely and were in good condition, the Air Force said." They won't be "in good condition" long unless they are female or minorities. Glad they still have their health if not their careers. Art, Thanks for the on-scene update. Let us know what kind of hazmat mess the crash site turns out to be. __________________ The acquisition of the knowledge of navigation has a strange effect on the minds of men.~Jack London

02-23-2008, 06:50 AM	#3 (permalink)
VarSity Contributor Join Date: 06-11-07 Location: Leicester Posts: 397 Country:	These things must have racked up one hell of alot of flight hours over the years. Hope this is a one off.

02-23-2008, 12:08 PM	#5 (permalink)
art New Member Join Date: 02-04-08 Location: Guam Posts: 6	Greetings from Guam! WoW!! I feel the same way, I'm glad the pilots were able to eject on time, I was at the PX in Anderson Base when the crash occured. The Air Force locked down the base for security reasons deverting all military flights to the local airport.

02-23-2008, 15:07 PM	#8 (permalink)
glyn *Military Professional* Join Date: 09-15-06 Location: Penzance, Cornwall UK Posts: 5,875	According to the TV news summary the aircraft caught fire immediately after take-off. Their careers may not be in jeopardy.

02-23-2008, 16:04 PM	#9 (permalink)
Blademaster Military Enthusiast *Senior Contributor* Join Date: 08-15-03 Posts: 2,775	Well if you ever want to see $2 billion dollars disappear in smoke, well heeeeeeeeeeeeere's your chance of seeing it!!!!!

02-23-2008, 23:17 PM	#10 (permalink)
Bella Patron Join Date: 09-03-07 Location: Chicago Posts: 260 Country:	If the aircraft caught fire immediatly after take-off, I makes me wonder if a bird got caught up in the jet intake??

02-24-2008, 08:32 AM	#11 (permalink)
Alyeska New Member Join Date: 04-26-06 Location: Fairbanks Alaska Posts: 6	Well, over at navytimes.com/news they're reporting that the aircraft was completely destroyed, so no hope of recovery/repair. Crap. Is it 2018 yet? __________________ I survived the World Armed Forces Forum

02-25-2008, 00:40 AM	#12 (permalink)
Bella Patron Join Date: 09-03-07 Location: Chicago Posts: 260 Country:	Well.........I guess after almost 20 years in service and countless amount of hours in combat, you really can't complain..............!!!!!!! ..............Except for the 1.2 billion dollar price tag!!...........ouch!

02-25-2008, 11:01 AM	#14 (permalink)
somak11 Banished Regular Join Date: 02-25-08 Posts: 36 Country:	I think the media is making a huge fuss about this..ok it is a billion dollar machine...but technical snags do happen....even the space shuttles have them at times.. And compared to what other aircrafts in other airforces face..I'll say the B-2 has a pretty good record. regards.

02-25-2008, 16:06 PM	#15 (permalink)
Skull6 *Military Professional* Join Date: 08-28-07 Location: Colorado Posts: 252 Country:	While I do appreciate ADUX's humorous attempt at an explanation, I think I'd rather wait until the findings are put forth. & I am also glad that both crew members made it out safely. $1.2B might seem like a lot of money, but it's chump-change when I remember that we can't buy back human life--times two, in this situation, imho. __________________ If you know the enemy and yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles. - Sun Tzu

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