Air Force: No Survivors In B-52 Crash

Six Airmen Died In The Crash Off The Coast Of Guam; Air Force Investigating Cause Of Accident

(AP)  The Air Force says no one survived the crash of a B-52 bomber lost near Guam with six aboard.

The military says the B-52 was en route to a flyover in a parade when it crashed about 30 miles northwest of Apra Harbor Monday morning.

Six vessels, three helicopters, two F-15 fighter jets and a B-52 bomber were involved in the failed search and rescue mission, which had covered about 70 square miles of ocean, said Coast Guard spokeswoman Lt. Elizabeth Buendia.

Maj. Stuart Upton, a Pentagon spokesman, said the aircraft was unarmed.

The B-52 bomber, based at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, was en route to conduct a flyover in a parade when it crashed around 9:45 a.m. Monday about 30 miles northwest of Apra Harbor, the Air Force said.

The Liberation Day parade celebrates the day when the U.S. military arrived on Guam to retake control of the island from Japan.

The Air Force said a board of officers will investigate the accident.

The accident is the second for the Air Force this year on Guam, a U.S. territory 3,700 miles southwest of Hawaii.

In February, a B-2 crashed at Andersen Air Force Base shortly after takeoff in the first-ever crash of a stealth bomber. Both pilots ejected safely. The military estimated the cost of the loss of the aircraft at $1.4 billion.

The B-52 is a long-range, heavy bomber that can refuel in mid air. Since the 159-foot-long bomber was first placed into service in 1955, it has been used for a wide range of missions from attacks to ocean surveillance. Two B-52s, in two hours, can monitor 140,000 square miles of ocean surface.

According to the Air Force's Web site, the B-52 Stratofortress has been the backbone of the manned strategic bomber force for the United States for more than four decades. It is capable of dropping or launching the widest array of weapons in the U.S. inventory, including cluster bombs and precision guided missiles.

[frankinaz]

My condolences and sympathy to the airmen, their families, and their friends also.

[observer2020]

My sincere condolences to the families of these brave airmen.

[airforce113]

hmmm good thing that was a accident, im happy ignorant people like you dont serve in the military, and just to let you know those weapons came from minot afb in north dakota. it wasnt barksdales fault

[patriot12436]

The first report said they had picked up two survivors, what kind of reporting is this ?

[quatermass2]

The good news is that we have only 93 of these flying museums left. The bad news is that we STILL have 93 of these antiques out there. I flew "G" model BUFFs from Loring (a base that FINALLY was closed, no thanks to the Chair Farce or Congress) over 25 years ago, and the damned plane was older than me THEN. All models other than the "H" (which we jealous G-drivers referred to as the "Cadillac") have been scrapped. Sure, you can update the avionics decade after decade, but you can''t "inspect in" airframe life. Sad for the crew, but instead of $2B a pop B-2s, we ought to be looking at going back to relative basics. (Shoot, a B-2 can''t even be parked out in nasty weather - WFT kind of "bomber" is THAT?)

[dowjones20k]

Deepest sympathy for the airmen and thier families ...

[jijalagi]

My condolences to family, friends and fellow airmen. A grateful nation mourns with you.