Stealth Bomber Crashes at Anderson AFB

It was bound to happen ,unfortunatly no technology is perfect. i wouldn't jump to any conclusions...sounds like an accident good to hear the pilots made it out ok.

ps (wasnt there a thread last week talking about how big of a deal it would be if a b2 crashed?)

It crashed while landing, no taking off.

I saw it pop.

Not according to EVERY report that has come out so far. Even the AIR FORCE says that it was taking off, and it was on the way home. It was #2 of a 4 ship cell. I have seen ONE report that said it MAY have been on landing, but no one would confirm whether it was landing or taking off. Since then EVERYONE has said it was taking off, and they were all on their way back to Whiteman.

This story struck me in complete shock. These aircraft do NOT just "crash" they are completely and fully ran by multiple computer processors each controlling every aspect of the flight.

Shot down? By who tho?

Yes, they really can "just crash". Just because they have redundant flight controls doesn't mean that it's not possible for them to just fall out of the air. One of the biggest problems they had at first (not sure if this was solved or dealt with) was the aft deck. After flying, they would come back and the crews would find cracks in the aft deck caused by the vibration and heat of the exhaust.

All it would take is to miss one tiny little thing, and it could easily become something major. A loose hydraulic line fitting could vibrate and cause the line to separate at a high power setting, spraying fluid around the engine and setting it on fire. Once a stealth catches fire it's not going to be put out. And all the redundant systems in the world won't help you with a mechanical failure like that.

Using your own word, "redundant", do you not think that the flight check operating system doesn't have the most redundant warning system ever? Also, did the pilot eject and survive? Something isn't right about this situation, a very rare event.

How is a computer going to check if a fitting is tight? A computer can have multiple FLIGHT CONTROL systems, or multiple SYSTEMS, but it can't check a mechanical system. A mechanical system can kill a plane just as dead as a computer failure. Just because you have redundant COMPUTER systems doesn't mean that you're going to be safe from MECHANICAL failure.

Both pilots ejected. One was checked and released, the other was in stable condition.

thats what I said, Both pilots were able to pull their D ring just after take off, when they are going to be the most involved with their craft....

It doesnt seem right, I mean I watched My general of my base i was stationed at, CRASH land his F-15 becuz his nosegear was stuck he grinded away half of his nose gear, but landed that puppy like it was suryp on hotcakes. I was impressed...

Now this is a B2, 1.2 billion, an theres no Autostabilize feature. no Parashutes made of Carbon steel nanotubes, no hightech bubblewrap deployable. I mean with the F-117 I member reading in my CDCs the Whole kitten an kaboodle is sent out to retrieve it, for the plans an the skin materials and the chems,

What are we paying so much for if it still crashes lol. I want a refund!

[edit on 23-2-2008 by Trance Optic]

Originally posted by Zaphod58
How is a computer going to check if a fitting is tight? A computer can have multiple FLIGHT CONTROL systems, or multiple SYSTEMS, but it can't check a mechanical system. A mechanical system can kill a plane just as dead as a computer failure. Just because you have redundant COMPUTER systems doesn't mean that you're going to be safe from MECHANICAL failure.

Both pilots ejected. One was checked and released, the other was in stable condition.

I'm not claiming they can check nuts and bolts, these are elements of hardware. However, should one come loose and a problem arises that is system critical, I don't see any reason why a system couldn't detect this? Isn't there some sort of current checking for loose and falling off mechanical systems?

I guess something must've alarmed them though, if they were able to eject. It is just hard to make myself believe these things can just bomb out like a crappy sweat shop made material good.

Sure, you may get a warning in the cockpit, but there's absolutely nothing that you can do about it, except come down under that nice beautiful canopy, just like they did. Although with some systems, like a hydraulic system your first warning will be pressure dropping and engine temps rising if it catches fire.

One of the mechanics I work with used to be work on aircraft over at that very base. He was telling me that the runway over there is pretty short and was one of the tougher ones to take off from.

I guess one little bad judgment call and the plane wont have enough airspeed to stay in the air. I don't know if the runway is still the same but hes convinced this is what happen.

Just thought Id throw in an informed opinion here for you guys. Take it as you will...

My father was there during Vietnam. He said they used to have B-52s take off and drop below the level of the cliff (500ft ASL) and disappear. The first they would see of them was 2-3 miles out as they climbed back up.

Originally posted by Zaphod58
My father was there during Vietnam. He said they used to have B-52s take off and drop below the level of the cliff (500ft ASL) and disappear. The first they would see of them was 2-3 miles out as they climbed back up.

Thats exactly what he told me almost word for word. That they would just drop out of sight as soon as they left the runway and reappear later if they were lucky

Going from another post in another thread about this, and I'm not really sure which area was the impact, it almost looks like it took off and immediately entered a bank before hitting the ground. I wonder if there was a problem with an elevon that threw them into a bank. This is just speculation though, and I'm going to clear up which was the impact area before I speculate further.

Originally posted by Zaphod58
Not according to EVERY report that has come out so far. Even the AIR FORCE says that it was taking off, and it was on the way home. It was #2 of a 4 ship cell. I have seen ONE report that said it MAY have been on landing, but no one would confirm whether it was landing or taking off. Since then EVERYONE has said it was taking off, and they were all on their way back to Whiteman.

The story was on Fox News earlier today and they clearly said that the other aircraft had just taken off. Shortly after takeoff is when this B-2 crashed for reasons not specified in the news story.

-ChriS

Going from other information, from offline sources, he turned right as soon as he took off. The wreckage is off to the right side of the runway. It LOOKS like he took off, and the right elevon deployed and he dragged the right wingtip, and they ejected before it hit the ground.

Just a thought. The germans had 6 flying jet wings discovered after WW2.
F2118 or something like that. One had been test flown and failed after one successful flight. I guess my point is you would think...that a billion dollar craft would have so many reduncancies built into it "I" couldn't even crash the mother. And I can mess up a *** dream.

Here is my conspiracy....

These planes that have crashed recently could have been crashed simply to get new ones while the money for the military is still flowing freely. Cash in on some new equipment before the next administration takes over.

The B2 could have bee a "lemon" that was always needing repair, so rather than dealing with a plane that was frequently out of service, crash it and get a new one. They are running out of time and the complete disregard for any budget concerns will most likely be put to a stop with whomever the next President is.

When I was in the military, I saw first hand how the boom or bust budgeting worked and this theory of mine wouldn't surprise me at all if it were true.

It most likely was just an accident, but this is a conspiracy site and that is the best I could come up with.

reply to post by jpm1602


It was the Ho-229.

As for redundancies, you are STILL talking about something built by humans and flown by humans. You could have 10 redundancies, and STILL have one crash due to a simple human error. There is no way to make one crash proof.

One pilot is being transported to the Tripler Medical Center in Hawaii for spinal compression injuries related to the crash. The other was treated and released immediately.

The entire B-2 fleet is on a safety stand down at this time.