The aircraft was the Northrop Grumman B-2A Spirit stealth bomber “Spirit of Kansas”, assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. It crashed on February 23, 2008, shortly after takeoff from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. This was the first-ever operational crash of a B-2 Spirit.
The official Air Force accident summary says the crash was caused by distorted air-data information entering the B-2’s flight-control computers. Moisture had affected the aircraft’s Port Transducer Units, which caused the computers to calculate inaccurate airspeed and a negative angle of attack during takeoff. That led to an uncommanded 30-degree nose-high pitch-up, causing the aircraft to stall and crash.
Both crew members ejected and survived. The pilot had minor injuries, while the co-pilot suffered a spinal compression fracture during ejection, was treated at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii, and was released.
The aircraft was destroyed. The Air Force listed the cost of the lost B-2 at about $1.4 billion, making it one of the most expensive aircraft losses in aviation history.
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After the crash, the B-2 fleet was paused for safety review. The aircraft returned to flight on April 15, 2008, after a 53-day safety pause.
Important correction
Some online posts incorrectly list the crash as February 15, 2008. The official Air Force date is February 23, 2008.
Short accurate story version
On February 23, 2008, the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber Spirit of Kansas began its takeoff roll at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. Seconds after liftoff, its flight-control computers received bad air-data information caused by moisture in the air-data system. The bomber pitched sharply upward, stalled at low altitude, rolled, and crashed near the runway. Both pilots ejected and survived, but the aircraft was completely destroyed. The loss shocked the Air Force because the B-2 had flown for nearly two decades without a Class A mishap. Its destruction cost about $1.4 billion and temporarily grounded the fleet for safety checks.
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