This morning there was a crash involving a B-52H deployed from Minot AFB. It appears as if the aircraft went down within the perimeter of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, but most importantly, it appears all crew members are accounted for and safe. This is the first time a B-52 has crashed since 2008. The cause of today’s crash is currently under investigation, and more information will be provided as it becomes available. Necessary steps are being taken to mitigate any and all potential environmental hazards.
A B-52H Stratofortress crashed around 8:30 a.m. on Andersen Air Force Base’s flight line, the base’s public affairs office has confirmed.
All seven aircrew members safely exited the aircraft. No injuries have been reported. Emergency responders are on scene, according to Andersen’s public affairs.
The B-52 was deployed to Andersen from Minot, North Dakota, as part of the military’s continuous bomber presence mission in the Pacific.
The aircrew are members from the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron and were performing a routine training mission.
The incident is under investigation and measures to mitigate possible environmental impacts are being taken. More information will be released as it becomes available.
A B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, heavy bomber aircraft, according to the U.S. Air Force’s website. It has a wingspan of about 185 feet and a length of 159 feet, or more than half a football field.
The last major crash of a B-52 aircraft in Guam was in July 2008, when a B-52 crashed into the ocean about 35 miles northwest of the island, killing all six flight crew on board, according to an Air Force investigation report. The plane had taken off from Andersen Air Force Base to perform a flyby in the Guam Liberation Day celebration.
Local emergency agencies responded to the crash.
The Guam Fire Department confirmed shortly after 9 a.m. that units were responding.
“It’s too early to comment on what happened,” GFD Chief Joey San Nicolas said in a media alert sent at 9:38 a.m.
“We assure the public this does not appear to be an attack, and we highly discourage anyone from spreading assumptions, or any information that does not come from (the Office of) Civil Defense or the military itself,” he said.
The original article can be read in its entirety at Pacific Daily News right here.
(Feature photo by Jason Hyatt)