B-52 Crash in Guam

Hand · 05-19-2016, 08:28

Quote:

According to a variety of news sources, a B-52H Stratofortress went down at Andersen Air Force Base on Guam this morning at around 0830 local time.
The cause of the crash is unknown so far, and an investigation has been initiated.
What we do know, however, is that all seven crew aboard the Stratofortress were able to safely egress from the stricken aircraft, and that the aircraft seems to be a complete loss.
This particular B-52 belonged to the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, whose parent unit is the 5th Bomb Wing, based at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota.
The B-52s from Minot were deployed on a six month rotation as part of US Pacific Command’s continuous bomber presence (CBP) mission, which has been hosted since 2004 at Andersen AFB, allowing for rapid deployments of the aircraft to the Indo-Asia-Pacific region should the need arise.

Continued

Sohei · 05-19-2016, 08:45

Glad to see that the crew is safe. It could have ended much worse.

Oldrotorhead · 05-19-2016, 10:27

What is Grandpa going to say when he hears the broke HIS plane? The newest is over 50 years old.

A total of 744 B-52s were built with the last, a B-52H, delivered in October 1962. The first of 102 B-52H's was delivered to Strategic Air Command in May 1961. The H model can carry up to 20 air launched cruise missiles.Dec 16, 2015

**Team Sergeant** · 05-19-2016, 13:58

It's like 150 years old....... good luck on finding the cause.

PSM · 05-19-2016, 14:24

I was on Okinawa in '68 when a B-52D on an Arc Light mission crashed on takeoff. A lot of the bombs went off shattering window for a mile or so from the crash site. Set off another round of "Yankee Go Home" riots. We even had a line of skoshi cabs drive by one night and shoot at us. Sounded like .22s.

Pat

Hand · 05-20-2016, 11:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSM

Set off another round of "Yankee Go Home" riots. We even had a line of skoshi cabs drive by one night and shoot at us. Sounded like .22s.

Pat

I was under the impression that firearms were pretty much extinct on Okinawa. Did that happen at a later time?

PSM · 05-20-2016, 11:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hand

I was under the impression that firearms were pretty much extinct on Okinawa. Did that happen at a later time?

Invaders of the Ryukyu Islands tried for over a thousand years to disarm the Okinawans, hence karate and nunchucks. This was 1968, 23 years after the Battle of Okinawa, and they were still finding Imperial Japanese Army small arms (as well as unexploded 16" rounds from our battleships).

Pat

mojaveman · 05-21-2016, 00:21

Lived four miles from March AFB which was a very active SAC base in the '60s and '70s, anyway, in '77 a B-52 crashed shortly after take off and I remember hearing as well as seeing the explosion. If I remember correctly, the crewmember in the tail gunner position was the only one to survive. Luckily back then the area around the base was not as densely populated as it is now, had it been, there probably would have been many more deaths.