B52 gecrashed

[Enforcer]

No survivors so far found following B-52 crash By JAYMES SONG, Associated Press Writer
Tue Jul 22, 6:33 AM ET


HONOLULU - The Air Force continued to hold out hope of finding survivors Tuesday in the crash of a B-52 bomber off Guam, but a brigadier general said there was no evidence that any of the airmen were alive.


Two bodies from the six-member crew were found after the crash Monday morning. An earlier Coast Guard report said three bodies were recovered, but spokesman Lt. John Titchen later said that was in error. No names of the plane's crew had been released.

"We've seen fuel in the water, oil slicks, some pieces of what look like a plane. This is right within the area where we had planned our searches," Titchen said. "We are now planning our searches to include wind and water current, any kind of drift that may happen to someone in the water."

The unarmed Air Force bomber had been making a swing around the island from Andersen Air Force Base for a celebratory fly-over of another part of the island as part of Guam Liberation Day celebrations. The holiday marks the arrival of the U.S. military arrived to retake the island from Japan.

An extensive military and civilian search continued to scour vast expanses of ocean on Tuesday for any sign of the remaining crew members, said the 36th Wing Commander, Brig. Gen. Douglas Owens.

"We recognize, however, that the longer this search continues the less likelihood there is that we'll find survivors," Owens said a day after the crash 30 miles northwest of Guam's Apra Harbor.

Three vessels including a destroyer, three helicopters, two F-15 fighter jets and a Navy P-3 Orion aircraft based in Japan were involved in the search, which covered roughly 3,000 square miles of the Pacific, Titchen said.

"We've basically saturated that area," said Titchen, who called search conditions "ideal," with light winds, calm seas and good visibility. "We're optimistic our search area is concentrated on the right area right now," he said.

The Air Force will investigate the accident. The two crew members were wearing their life vests when their bodies were recovered.

"This is a challenging operation when we lose people we work with on a day-to-day basis, so we're doing the best that we can to cover that area as quickly as we can," Titchen said.

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 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 plane that crashed Monday was based at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana and deployed to Guam as part of the Department of Defense's continuous bomber presence mission in the Pacific. The Air Force has been rotating B-1, B-2 and B-52 bombers through Guam since 2004 to boost the U.S. security presence in the Asia-Pacific region while other U.S. forces in the area have been sent to the Middle East.

Master Sgt. Cindy Dorfner, a spokeswoman for the Air Combat Command in Langley Air Force Base, Va., said the last crash involving a B-52 was on June 24, 1994, in Spokane, Wash. The bomber was practicing touch-and-go landings before an air show at Fairchild Air Force Base when it plunged to the ground and exploded, killing all four on board.

The Air Force has 93 B-52 bombers remaining in its fleet.

The B-52 is a long-range, heavy bomber that can refuel in midair. 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.

[KapiteinRob]

Ohhhh, ik dacht bij de maledieven, daarzo

Ik denk dat je Guam, verwarde met de Britse basis Diego Garcia in de Indische oceaan, zo'n anderhalf duizend kilomter ten zuidwesten van Sri Lanka. Ja, daar woon ik natuurlijk wel vlakbij.....

[sgt Rob]

Dat is toch vlak bij jou, daar, Rob?

Guam ligt bij mijn weten nog steeds in de Stille Oceaan, grofweg op de lijn Indonesië - Hawaii, zo' 2000 kilometer ten noorden van Papoea Nieuw Guinea.....

Ohhhh, ik dacht bij de maledieven, daarzo

[KapiteinRob]

Dat is toch vlak bij jou, daar, Rob?

Guam ligt bij mijn weten nog steeds in de Stille Oceaan, grofweg op de lijn Indonesië - Hawaii, zo' 2000 kilometer ten noorden van Papoea Nieuw Guinea.....

[Lex]

Het scheelt maar 21.847 km.  ::)

[sgt Rob]

Dat is toch vlak bij jou, daar, Rob?

[KapiteinRob]

Ik las anders ergens dat 2 bemanningsleden het overleefd zouden hebben....

Even gezocht:

HONOLULU —  Rescue crews were searching a vast area of floating debris and a sheen of oil Monday for crew members of an Air Force B-52 bomber that crashed off the island of Guam, officials said.

At least two people were recovered from the waters, but their condition was not immediately available, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

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

"We have an active search that's going to go on throughout the night," she said Monday. The Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force and local fire and police departments were involved.

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 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 US$1.4 billion.

The B-52 is a long-range, heavy bomber that can refuel in mid air. Since the 160-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 U.S. 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.

Bron: Foxnews dd. 210708

[KapiteinRob]

No word on fate of 6 crew members; 2nd accident for island base this year

Ik las anders ergens dat 2 bemanningsleden het overleefd zouden hebben....

[Enforcer]

B-52 bomber crashes off Guam, Air Force says
No word on fate of 6 crew members; 2nd accident for island base this year

Dr. Scott M. Lieberman / AP File
A 2004 photo shows a B-52 bomberon the tarmac of the Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, La. The Air Force has reported that a B-52 bomber based at Barksdale AFB crashed Monday off the island of Guam.
View related photos 

msnbc.com

updated 4:26 a.m. ET July 21, 2008
HONOLULU - Rescue crews were searching a vast area of floating debris and a sheen of oil Monday for crew members of an Air Force B-52 bomber that crashed off the island of Guam, officials said.

At least two people were recovered from the waters, but their condition was not immediately available, the Coast Guard said.

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


"We have an active search that's going to go on throughout the night," she said Monday. The Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force and local fire and police departments were involved.

En route to parade
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.

Second accident this year on Guam
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.