(RECREATION) 2008 Whiteman Air Force Base B-2 Bomber crash animation & CVR [with captions]
On February 23, 2008, a U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber named Spirit of Kansas crashed just after takeoff from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. It was the first-ever crash of a B-2, and the aircraft—worth $1.4 billion—was completely destroyed.
What happened?
Before takeoff, moisture got into three of the plane’s air data sensors. This caused incorrect airspeed and pitch readings to be fed into the flight control system. The plane believed it was flying too slowly, so it pitched up sharply right after takeoff—too sharply.
Seconds later, it stalled, rolled left, and slammed back down into the runway. It broke apart, with parts of the wing detaching and catching fire. Miraculously, both pilots ejected and survived.