B-52 crash Guam

[tubby linton]

Twitter is reporting a B-52 craahed on Guam. All crew are safe.
US Air Force confirms B-52 crashed at Andersen AFB - KUAM.com-KUAM News: On Air. Online. On Demand. (http://www.kuam.com/story/32010034/2016/05/18/us-air-force-confirms-b-52-crashed-at-andersen-afb)

[Buster Hyman]

Crew safe. All we need to hear.:ok:

[Fonsini]

Relieved that the crew made it out ok.

A tricky aircraft to fly by all accounts, I seem to recall reading in the pilot's notes that you push forward on the stick to achieve take off.

[airman1900]

B-52 Crash Andersen Guam May 19, 2016:



B-52 crashes at Andersen, crew bails to safety (http://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2016/05/18/downed-aircraft-reported-andersen-air-force-base-gfd-responding/84564970/)

[Airbubba]

Some pictures in this Facebook post:

https://www.facebook.com/kuamnews/photos/pcb.10153791460683742/10153791459878742/?type=3&theater

[The Old Fat One]

Since the crew are safe....

Looking at the photos, should be able to buff out the damage :cool:

[DaveReidUK]

BBC reporting "crashed shortly after takeoff", NBC saying it never left the ground. Take your pick.

American B-52 bomber crashes in Guam - BBC News (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-36328582)

Air Force B-52 Crashes at Guam Base - NBC News (http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/air-force-b-52-crashes-guam-base-n576526)

[AreOut]

did the island tip over?!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7XXVLKWd3Q

[FinelyChopped]

BUFF out the damage, TOFO?

[Gsxr600]

Wonder if they'll now get another of the spare H models out of the boneyard to maintain the SALT quota of B52s in service. Anyone found the tail number of the crashed airframe?

[Rhino power]

Anyone found the tail number of the crashed airframe?

Been suggested it's 60-0047, although not confirmed...

-RP

[bluetail]

A FB link I saw confirms it was 60-0047

[Fareastdriver]

56 years old. It can be forgiven for bumping into something.

[sandiego89]

Anyone know if it was in the overrun area? Tough to tell from the few pictures where she is. Perhaps is was a run-off past the threshold and a burn out after they got her stopped. Some sources saying it was an aborted takeoff, and it looks like the co-pilot window is open, suggesting a rapid ground egress- ie run like hell...


Imagine everyone goes to the closest exit, but if she were on her belly would all the crew go out the pilot windows? All top ejection seat hatches look like they are in place- not sure if those are jettisoned for emergency egress.

[PersonFromPorlock]

Imagine everyone goes to the closest exit, but if she were on her belly would all the crew go out the pilot windows? All top ejection seat hatches look like they are in place- not sure if those are jettisoned for emergency egress. I've got 4000 hours in BUFs*; SOP for the top deck was to stand on the seat, manually jettison the top hatch, throw out the escape rope (permanently anchored alongside the hatch), and climb down. A little dicey since jettisoning the hatch arms the seat. Probably everyone used the EW and Gunner's (top deck, rear) hatches. You can't be sure because the area's been burned away.

*BUF is the historical form; BUFF is just USAF being prissy. Big Ugly Fat Fellow, indeed!

Edit: I have no idea where that "stand on the seat" came from, except possibly the magical confluence of forty-year old memories and a brain fart. The B-52's top deck is maybe five feet high; no seat-standing needed to pop the hatch!

[Rick777]

The usual runway in use at Anderson AB doesn't have an overrun. It is just a few feet of dirt and then a 600 ft cliff.

[ORAC]

Am I reading too much into the use of the word "perceived" to suspect this was an aborted take-off of a fully serviceable aircraft? Is the brake chute essential to stop below V1, or does the text imply the abort was made above V1?

Alert 5 » 2016 B-52H crash investigation completed - Military Aviation News (http://alert5.com/2017/04/24/2016-b-52h-crash-investigation-completed/)

AFGSC COMPLETES ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION > Andersen Air Force Base > News (http://www.andersen.af.mil/News/Article/1157377/afgsc-completes-accident-investigation/)

[Pontius Navigator]

It would suggests that they did not find any bird strike damage to the engines, such that no evidence of a bird ingestion was not evidence that there was no bird strike.

I don't know the niceties of their take off calculations but Guam is very hot and the aircraft heavy so may be they don't operate to balanced field conditions, if I have that right. Short answers therefore, yes/maybe and maybe.

[Barksdale Boy]

I recall watching B-52s taking off from Guam in 1970 with full bomb loads (including under-wing stores) en route N Vietnam. They appeared to dip below the skyline before slowly gaining height - a scary sight.

[foxvc10]

theres a very burnt out B52 shape at the end of the runway on Google Earth photo dated 6/11/2016

[Mil-26Man]

From Jane's USAF seeks B-52H wheels and brake upgrade after crash | Jane's 360 (http://www.janes.com/article/70003/usaf-seeks-b-52h-wheels-and-brake-upgrade-after-crash)