No munitions on board B-2 that crashed

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http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/02/ap_b2_guamcrash_022208/
news/2008/02/ap_b2_guamcrash_022208

Staff and wire reports
Posted : Sunday Feb 24, 2008 10:50:12 EST

A B-2 stealth bomber crashed on the runway Saturday at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, completely destroying the aircraft, an officer at Andersen confirmed. It was the first time a B-2 had ever crashed.

The two pilots from the 509th Bomb Wing ejected safely. Both have been checked by medical staff and are in good condition, according to a Pacific Air Forces statement.

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.

Area residents told a local TV station they saw black plumes of smoke coming from the base about 10:45 a.m. local time, indicating the aircraft’s impact. Emergency vehicles on base immediately reported to the scene of the crash. No other injuries have been reported at Andersen.

All 21 stealth bombers are based at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., but the Air Force has been rotating several of them through Guam since 2004. Four of the 509th’s B-2s are currently deployed to Andersen and were scheduled to return to Missouri now that six B-52s from the 96th Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, have arrived to replace them.

The $1.2 billion advanced stealth bomber is certified to carry nuclear munitions, but no munitions were on board the B-2 that crashed. There also were no injuries on the ground or damage to buildings.

The B-2 that crashed was the second B-2 to take off from Andersen on Saturday morning, according to a KUAM TV news report. The first bomber took off safely, according to the station, but was brought back when the other aircraft plunged to the ground.

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.

DISCUSS: The crash

RON CASTRO / THE PACIFIC DAILY NEWS VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS Smoke billows from the runway at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, on Feb. 23 after a B-2 stealth bomber crashed. The two pilots aboard the bomber ejected before the crash and are safe, the Air Force said.

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