 B-52H 60-053 in February 2004 |
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | July 21, 2008 |
| Type | horizontal stabilizer malfunction |
| Site | Pacific Ocean northwest of Guam |
| Crew | 6 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | B-52H Stratofortress |
| Aircraft name | Louisiana Fire |
| Operator | United States Air Force |
| Tail number | 60-053 |
The 2008 Guam B-52 crash was a fatal crash of a United States Air Force (USAF) B-52H Stratofortress on July 21, 2008. The aircraft, operating out of Andersen Air Force Base, crashed into the Pacific Ocean during a training flight approximately 30 nautical miles (56 km) northwest of Apra Harbor, Guam. All six crew members aboard the aircraft were killed and the aircraft was destroyed.
An investigation by the USAF determined that the crash was likely caused by an improper stabilizer trim setting. The investigation was unable to determine conclusively what had caused the horizontal stabilizer trim to be set improperly, but theorized that the most likely cause was an aircraft system malfunction.
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On July 21, 2008, a United States Air Force (USAF) B-52H Stratofortress crashed into the Pacific Ocean approximately 30 nautical miles (56 km) northwest of Apra Harbor, Guam,[1] after taking off from Andersen Air Force Base.[2] The aircraft, named "Louisiana Fire" and with the mission call sign of "RAIDER 21", was about to participate in a flyover for the Liberation Day parade in Hagåtña when it crashed at 9:55 AM ChST (2355 UTC, July 20), 5 minutes before they were scheduled to fly over the parade. Air traffic control radar images indicated that the aircraft appeared to be descending rapidly before disappearing from radar scopes at about 2,000 feet (610 m) of altitude.[3]
On July 23, 2008, the USAF announced that there were no survivors, and that the rescue effort had turned to a recovery mission for four still-missing members of the crew of six.[4] The military reported that the value of the aircraft and its equipment lost in the mishap was US$65,718,834.[3]
The crew of RAIDER 21 were: Major Christopher M. Cooper, 33, aircraft commander, Major Brent D. Williams, 37, radar navigator, Captain Michael K. Dodson, 31, co-pilot, First Lieutenant Joshua D. Shepherd, 26, navigator, First Lieutenant Robert D. Gerren, 32, electronic warfare officer, and Colonel George Martin. Martin was the deputy commander of 36th Medical Group at Andersen, and the other crew members were all from the 20th Bomb Squadron or the 96th Bomb Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. Two bodies and other remains were recovered at approximately 10:42 and 11:38, from the vicinity of the crash site, and were later identified as Majors Cooper and Williams. Although early reports said only two sets of remains were recovered, the official United States Air Force Aircraft Accident Investigation Board Report stated the remains of Shepherd and Martin were recovered later that day at 1:00 and 1:34.[5] Dodson's and Gerren's remains were not recovered.[3][6] A memorial service for the crew was held at Arlington National Cemetery on November 14, 2008.[7][8]
The bomber was assigned to the 20th Bomb Squadron, and, along with the crew, was on temporary duty at Andersen as part of a four month rotation.[9] The bomber was part of a unit that replaced four B-2 Spirit bombers, one of which crashed upon take-off on February 23, 2008 while attempting to return to Whiteman AFB upon completion of their four month temporary duty at Andersen.[3]
The USAF worked with the United States Navy to map and retrieve the aircraft's wreckage from the ocean floor. The wreckage did not include a flight data recorder because the aircraft was not equipped with one.[10]
The accident investigation board concluded that the horizontal stabilizer was set at a down angle during the training mission. The cause of the mishap was an improper stabilizer trim setting. Due to the lack of available evidence, no surviving crew members, no radio calls, no other witnesses and lack of a data recorder, the accident investigation board was unable to determine by clear and convincing evidence why the stabilizer trim was mispositioned. The investigation board felt that the most likely cause of this runaway stabilizer trim was a system malfunction that would have led the stabilizer trim to improperly run in a nose-down direction. The improper trim setting occurred somewhere between 14,000 and 10,000 feet (3,000 m) and caused a rapid and uncontrollable descent the experienced crew could not overcome. Based on the descent profile of the mishap aircraft, there was only 34 seconds from the presumed start of the mishap sequence until impact.[11]
The board president, Brigadier General Mark Barrett explained that two factors led to the crash. The first was the "combination of low altitude with a descending left turn of the aircraft". The second was "the late recognition of the serious nature of the situation by the crew". He added, "any experienced air crew could have found it difficult to recognize, assess and recover from the rapidly developing situation involving the stabilizer trim setting." The USAF also conducted a separate safety investigation into the mishap but did not publicly release its findings.[6]
In 2009, a memorial to the crewmembers killed in the crash was constructed at Governor's Complex in Adelup. The memorial was dedicated in a ceremony on July 20, 2009. The ceremony included a missing man formation flown by four F-22 Raptors and a flypast by a B-52.[12][13]
A second ceremony was held on July 21 at Barksdale Air Force Base. The ceremony included eulogies, music, and a flypast by a B-52.[14]
  | Hawaii: All 6 in Bomber Crew Are Dead - The New York Times > Log In |
| | "B-52 Bomber Crashes Off Guam" - New York Local News, US, & World, Business & Green News | NBC New York |
| | B-52 Crashes Off Guam - The New York Times > Log In |
| | "Six Killed in B-52 Crash Off Guam, Air Force Says" - Six Killed in B-52 Crash Off Guam, Air Force Says | News10.net | Sacramento, California | National News |
| | "Remains of B-52 aircrew laid to rest at Arlington" - Remains of B-52 aircrew laid to rest at Arlington |
| | "Search continues for those aboard crashed B-52" - Search continues for those aboard crashed B-52 |
| | "B-52 bomber crashes near Guam" - Two bodies found after B-52 crash near Guam - CNN.com |
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