...not meaning to pile on, but the report is out about the B2 crash in Guam earlier this year. The video keeps your heart in your throat - but the pilots do punch out at pretty much the last second.
Depending on whose cost figures you accept (1.4 - 2.5 billion per aircraft) you are watching 1/4 to 1/2 of a Nimitiz-class carrier turn into a yard dart at Andersen AFB on Guam.
The cause, according to the AF report (as reported by the AP):
The Air Force on Thursday said the first crash of a B-2 stealth bomber was caused by moisture in sensors and estimated the loss of the aircraft at $1.4 billion.The crash probably could have been avoided if knowledge of a technique to evaporate the moisture had been disseminated throughout the B-2 program, said Maj. Gen. Floyd L. Carpenter, who headed an accident investigation board.
The "Spirit of Kansas" abruptly pitched up, rolled and yawed to the left Feb. 23 before plunging to the ground at Andersen Air Force Base on the island of Guam. Both pilots ejected safely just after the left wing made contact with the ground in the first crash since the maiden B-2 flights nearly 20 years ago.
Got to give the AF credit - 20 years without a total pranging isn't too bad.
Heh. Of course it had to be the aircraft named after a square state in the flyover... I assure you, as a resident of Kansas, that is *not* our Spirit, no matter what Thomas Franks thinks.
What we had here, was a failure to communicate:
The crash probably could have been avoided if knowledge of a technique to evaporate the moisture had been disseminated throughout the B-2 program, said Maj. Gen. Floyd L. Carpenter, who headed an accident investigation board.
Almost makes a taxpayer want to go out, get drunk, and cut the heads off of some parking meters.
The report said, "The human factor of communicating critical information was a contributing factor to this mishap."
One hopes the proponents of automating away the pilots in commercial aircraft are taking notes. They'll be awfully expensive if you have to equip them with ejection seats.
Heh.
"It's fortunate the crew was able to safely eject. It's unfortunate, however, that we lost one of our nation's penetrating bombers," said Gen. Carrol H. Chandler, commander of Pacific Air Forces.
It's really unfortunate that a communications error cost 1.4 billion dollars.
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