A B-2 Bomber B-Gone
By: Evan Campbell
On Friday, February 23, 2008 a United States Air Force B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber, the Sprit of Kansas, crashed on Guam shortly after take off from Andersen Air Force Base. It is the first time a B-2 has ever crashed in its history in the arsenal of the USAF and it is also the most expensive single plane crash ever. Causes are unknown, but a board of officers will investigate the crash. The crash happened when four B-2s were on their way back to Whiteman AFB, Missouri after a four month tour of security in the Asian-Pacific area. With the bulk of the United States military focused on the Middle East, the Air Force has been doing rotations of B-2s, B-1 Lancers, and B-52 Stratofortresses at Anderson Air Force base on Guam. Whiteman AFB is the home base for the 509th Bomb Wing and the fleet of twenty remaining B-2 Bombers. With the recent crash of the B-2, Brigadier General Garrett Harencak, commander of the 509th, placed all B-2s on suspension to make sure no other issues will arise with the twenty remaining planes. The B-2s will fly only in the case of a dire emergency operation.
