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B-2 crash near Guam? (Update: Post Crash Pics & Video)

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posted on Mar, 2 2008 @ 08:07 PM
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reply to post by Canada_EH
 


The aft body cracking has been going on since the program started. They have come up with new repair techniques to make repairs that are literally milimeters thick wherever the cracking occurs.



posted on Mar, 3 2008 @ 12:18 PM
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The fire began before takeoff. Makes me wonder if it started during their INS alignment. They have to sit and run engines for 45 minutes to an hour to align the sytem. That could have been enough time for something to overheat, or for something to vibrate loose. The pilot that as transported to Tripler is still in the hospital. The rest of the fleet remains on a safety pause and is conducting no training flights at this time. They are available for missions if necessary.



posted on Mar, 3 2008 @ 01:46 PM
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reply to post by Zaphod58
 


Confirmed then that it was something that started on the apron then Zaph?



posted on Mar, 3 2008 @ 01:52 PM
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That's what I'm hearing. They said yesterday that it definitely started before take off.



posted on Mar, 4 2008 @ 11:35 AM
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Any talk of "anti-gravity" is nonsense. I'd also be interested in the crosswind conditions at the time of takeoff...wingtip vortices can cause problems on takeoff and landing if another aircraft has been on the runway a short time earlier.



posted on Mar, 4 2008 @ 11:37 AM
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The only other aircraft to have been on the runway before him that I've heard any report of was #1 in the group. I haven't heard anything on crosswinds that day, but from the videos of the smoke the winds didn't APPEAR to be that bad.



posted on Mar, 4 2008 @ 11:41 AM
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Zaphod, I've been going through your comments and they're pretty good for the most part. The problem with the "uncommanded elevon deployment" that you talk about is the fact that the flight control computers are quadruple-redundant. You'd have to have multiple commands from the computers telling the elevon to move before it would happen, and those things have a very high sampling rate compared to the positioning of the flight controls. My experience, including several years flying the B-2, says there's probably something else to blame here, most likely not anybody's fault. The safety record has been phenomenal, and sometimes bad things happen. I don't think this was anyone's fault. And nothing "spooky" caused this to happen.



posted on Mar, 4 2008 @ 11:44 AM
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Zaphod, I don't know that this is the case here, but a crosswind component of only 5 knots can hold a wingip vortex right over the runway centerline for a while. Just a possibility...



posted on Mar, 4 2008 @ 11:46 AM
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reply to post by B2AV8R
 


The only reason I was thinking that was the ART issues that cropped up on multiple occasions. I know they supposedly "fixed" them but they came back at least one other time. Looking at the facts as I have found them so far, I think you're right, and this was simply an accident. I'm still leaning towards the ART somehow being to blame for it based on what I've found to date.



posted on Mar, 4 2008 @ 11:59 AM
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Yeah, I'm not aware of any inflight ART failures like this one...but there's always a first time for everything. I'm glad that the guys got out and they can tell us what they think happened. I hadn't heard about the possibility of a fire. The onboard fire detection system doesn't cover the whole airplane.



posted on Mar, 4 2008 @ 12:03 PM
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According to what was released last week, there was a fire, and then they said a couple of days ago that it definitely started sometime before their take off attempt. Having heard about the ART overheating issues that had cropped up, that's what got me thinking that it overheated, and caused a short or something and started a fire. Then when they took off, it airplane rolled right.

I'm really interested to see what the final report is going to say. I'm definitely going to keep digging with this one to make sure I don't miss that.



posted on Mar, 4 2008 @ 12:04 PM
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reply to post by B2AV8R
 


Looking at what is considered the most likely reason for the inflight failure as a fire related is the "best" to get the result being the complete failure for the Aircraft to respond to the control inputs from the pilots.

By the way when was the time frame that you flew the B-2? Just out of curiosity if you can let us know.

[edit on 4-3-2008 by Canada_EH]



posted on Mar, 4 2008 @ 12:09 PM
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Originally posted by B2AV8R
Zaphod, I don't know that this is the case here, but a crosswind component of only 5 knots can hold a wingip vortex right over the runway centerline for a while. Just a possibility...


A possibility but one that is also planed around and for so that it doesn't effect the aircraft taking off.

Zaph/B2AV8R just out of interest this failure in the ART and controls would mean overheated and or fire that the controls should of been and probably where tested before flight but that in the process of taxi etc in which these controls "aren't?" used failed and when inputs where sent the controls didn't respond. (Question is more so in regards to control tests on the ramp)



posted on Mar, 4 2008 @ 12:10 PM
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reply to post by B2AV8R
 


the main problem is that there is only 1 resistor for those 4 boards - if that fails then all teh back up is shot



posted on Mar, 4 2008 @ 12:12 PM
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Originally posted by B2AV8R
Yeah, I'm not aware of any inflight ART failures like this one...but there's always a first time for everything. I'm glad that the guys got out and they can tell us what they think happened. I hadn't heard about the possibility of a fire. The onboard fire detection system doesn't cover the whole airplane.


Are you able to tell us where it does cover? I'd assume cabin, engines and "fuselage structure" area in the plane would be covered. Where is the ART located or is that info classified in nature?



posted on Mar, 4 2008 @ 12:14 PM
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reply to post by Canada_EH
 


I was only in on the launch of a couple of B-2s so I'm not sure on them, but with fighters, we'd taxi them down near the hammerhead, stop them off to the side, and we'd do an End Of Runway check on them. The EOR looked for things like leakes, pins that were still in place that were going to cause problems, obvious issues, and they'd do a last control cycle to make sure everything worked ok. We didn't do that so much with the bigger aircraft though, we tried to catch all the pins and leaks on preflight instead of doing an EOR.



posted on Mar, 4 2008 @ 12:17 PM
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reply to post by Zaphod58
 


From videos that I've seen of B-2 take-offs etc none has ever included a final FOC just before take off. Makes sense though with the statement you made about Bigger aircraft that it would be something that may not be done with the B-2.



posted on Mar, 4 2008 @ 01:19 PM
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reply to post by Canada_EH
 


I had three flying assignments between 1993 and 2004.



posted on Mar, 4 2008 @ 01:20 PM
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reply to post by Canada_EH
 


We did traditional EOR checks for a while, then graduated to a "last chance" drive-by inspection before leaving the parking spot.



posted on Mar, 4 2008 @ 01:22 PM
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reply to post by Canada_EH
 


Just the engine compartment and the associated accessory drive.




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