Pictures from the February 2008 Stealth Bomber Crash

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We have obtained the first still photos of the February accident—and they’re pretty stunning. With last month’s technical report detailing the demise of the Spirit of Kansas came footage from security cameras at Andersen Air Force base in Guam.

Officials also snapped—but, until now, did not release—still photos of that crash site. In the pictures, firefighters work in silvery suits and crash teams cautiously approach the empty ejection seats, which use explosive charges to gain distance from a foundering airplane. Both pilots were able to eject safely through panels in the airplane’s cockpit roof. The white spray seen in the photos is fire suppression foam.

Scroll down for more—including an illustrated timeline of the crash—and stay tuned to PM’s Aviation Central for more details as they unfold...



9:29 am /// Waterlogged /// During a preflight check, the pilot notices three air data sensors are malfunctioning. Unknown to the crew, water in the sensors is skewing the air-pressure readings too high.
9:34 am /// Recalibration /// A ground crewman, using a cockpit keyboard, recalibrates the three waterlogged sensors. The preflight checks continue, and the B-2 taxis to runway Zero-Six-Right (above, top left).
10:29 am /// Boiling Sensors /// Before takeoff, the pilot turns on the sensors’ heaters. Water in the sensors evaporates; the readings are now normal, but the earlier fix skews air-pressure data too low.
10:30:12 am /// Slow Start /// The B-2 starts takeoff. The on-board flight computer displays the wrong airspeed, causing the pilot to lift off at 133 knots (153 mph) rather than the required 145 knots.
10:30:50 am /// Auto Override /// The flight computer, relying on bad air-pressure readings, concludes the aircraft is in a nose-low altitude and automatically raises the nose to 30 degrees (top right).
10:31:06 am /// Fiery Ending /// The B-2, going too slowly, with its nose angled too high, stalls. As the airplane’s wing scrapes the runway (bottom left), the pilot and commander safely eject. The B-2 crashes (bottom right).

Bomb explodes in Time Square

An explosive device caused minor damage to a military recruiting station in Times Square early Thursday, and police blocked off the area to investigate.

The device shattered a glass entryway, but no one was injured, police said. Members of the police department's bomb squad and fire officials gathered outside the recruiting station in the early morning darkness, and police cars and yellow tape blocked drivers — most of them behind the wheels of taxicabs — from entering one of the world's busiest crossroads.

Witnesses staying at a Times Square hotel in the area said they heard a "big bang" and could feel the building shake. A large plume of smoke was also visible after the explosion, they said.

Early in the investigation, subway cars passed through the Times Square station without stopping, but normal service was restored, with some delays, before the morning rush hour.

The recruiting station, located on a traffic island surrounded by Broadway theaters and chain restaurants, has occasionally been the site of anti-war demonstrations, ranging from silent vigils to loud rallies.

In October 2005 a group of activists who call themselves the Granny Peace Brigade rallied there against the Iraq war. Eighteen activists, most of them grandmothers with several in their 80s and 90s, were later acquitted of disorderly conduct.

The recruiting station was renovated in 1999 to better fit into the flashy ambiance of Times Square, using neon tubing to give the glass and steel office a patriotic American flag motif. For a half century, the station was the armed forces' busiest recruiting center. It has set national records for enlistment, averaging about 10,000 volunteers a year.

Police said it was too early to say if the blast may have been related to two other minor explosions in the city.

In October, two small explosive devices were tossed over a fence at the Mexican consulate, shattering three windows but causing no injuries. No threats had been made against the consulate, and no one took responsibility for the explosion, police said.

At the time, police said they were investigating whether it was connected to a similar incident at the British consulate on May 5, 2005.

In that incident, the explosions took place in the early morning hours, when Britons were going to the polls in an election that returned Prime Minister Tony Blair to power.

In both cases, the instruments were fake grenades sometimes sold as novelty items. They were packed with black power and detonated with fuses, but incapable of causing serious harm, police said.

Mentally unstable US Marine Throws puppy off cliff and laughs about it

The American army is investigating shocking footage of a grinning Marine throwing a yelping puppy into a gully in Iraq.

The clip, which has prompted fierce criticism of the military, appeared on video sharing site YouTube. The video has since been removed, I guess they don't want the bad publicity.

It showed two Marines dressed in combat gear, one holding the young dog by the scruff of its neck.

The dog, which looks about eight weeks old, is motionless.

"Cute little puppy, huh?", one Marine can be heard saying.

"Oh so cute, so cute little puppy," the other responds in a child-like voice.

The Marine holding the dog then turns and throws it into the ravine below. The animal can be heard yelping until it hits the ground.

A spokesman for the American military condemned the video as "shocking and deplorable" and said an investigation was underway into the incident.

Marine spokesman Major Chris Perrine said the culprit was believed to be based in Hawaii.

"We do not tolerate this type of behaviour and will take appropriate action," he said.

US B-2 Bomber crashes in Guam

Now wouldn't you hate to be the person responsible.

A U.S. B-2 stealth bomber crashed at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam just after taking off but the two pilots on board ejected safely, the U.S. Air Force said.

"They have been evaluated by medical authorities and are in good condition," the Air Force said in a statement.

An inquiry will be held into why the aircraft, which cost almost $1.2 billion each, crashed, an Air Force spokesman said.

Guam, a U.S. Pacific territory within striking distance of regional hotspots, has had a bomber presence since March 2004 and B-52s, B-2s and B-1s deploy on rotation from bases on the U.S. mainland.

The aircraft which crashed was based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.

The B-2 bomber can evade most radar signals making it difficult for defensive systems to detect, track and attack. It has a range of 6,000 nautical miles (11,112 kilometres) without refuelling, according to the Air Force.

The B-2 bombers have been used for missions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Serbia.

Guam has had a U.S. military presence to varying degrees since 1898, when U.S. naval forces captured it from Spain.

The Japanese occupied the island during World War Two but the Americans then built up an air base, which saw heavy action for bombing runs during the Korean and Vietnam wars.

The United States plans to move 8,000 Marines and 10,000 dependents from the southern Japanese island of Okinawa to Guam by 2014 as part of a global realignment of U.S. forces.

Semper Fi Act (2008) moves to recind over $2 million previously earmarked for Berkeley CA school children

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina), Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia), Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-Oklahoma), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and David Vitter (R-Louisiana) introduced the Semper Fi Act of 2008. The bill would rescind over $2 million in hidden earmarks for Berkeley, California in the 2008 Omnibus Appropriations bill, and transfer the funds to the Marine Corps. U.S. Congressman John Campbell (R-California) is introducing a companion bill in the House of Representatives.

Last week, the City Council of Berkeley voted to oust Marine Corps recruiters from their downtown office, saying the Marines were "uninvited and unwelcome intruders." Berkeley officials also voted to give the radical protest group Code Pink space outside the recruitment office and urged them to "impede, passively or actively" the work of Marine Corps recruiters.

One earmark provides $243,000 in taxpayer dollars for the organization Chez Panisse to create gourmet organic school lunches in the Berkeley School District. Chez Panisse is dedicated to "environmental harmony" and their menu features "Comté cheese soufflé with mâche salad," "Meyer lemon éclairs with huckleberry coulis," and "Chicory salad with creamy anchovy vinaigrette and olive toast."

Another earmark would spend $975,000 in taxpayer dollars for the University of California in Berkeley Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service, to create a new endowment and cataloging the papers of Congressman Robert Matsui. U.C. Berkeley currently already has a $3.5 billion endowment.

Senator Inhofe: "Unfortunately, those on the Berkeley city council do not seem to understand the sacrifice of the brave men and women of the United States Marine Corps. By interfering with military recruiting, the city of Berkeley is hampering our ability to protect this nation. While the city of Berkeley and the protestors are free to say whatever they like, free speech is not a protection from consequence."




Senator DeMint: "Berkeley needs to learn that their actions have consequences. Patriotic American taxpayers won't sit quietly while Berkeley insults our brave Marines and tries to run them out of town. Berkeley City Council members have shown complete ingratitude to our military and their families, and the city doesn't deserve a single dime of special pet project handouts."

Senator Cornyn: "The Berkeley City Council insulted our troops and offended people across the country. If the U.S. Marines are not good enough for Berkeley, neither are taxpayer dollars Congress would have sent there this year. That city closed its doors on the same individuals taking bullets on the front lines while fighting for the safety and freedom of families in Berkeley and throughout America."

Senator Vitter: "The actions of the City Council of Berkeley are in stark contrast to beliefs of the vast majority of Americans who recognize and honor the service and sacrifice of our U.S. Marines. This is simply unacceptable and those funds could be better utilized by the Marine Corps."

Dr. Coburn: "The actions by the city of Berkeley are deplorable and insulting to those who are serving and those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect the very freedoms that are being exercised to insult them. I know I stand with the majority of Americans in thanking our service men and women for their selfless service to our nation."

Senator Chambliss: "We need to send a strong message that our military personnel deserve our strongest support. Georgia is a proud military state, and my constituents will be out outraged to know that during a time of war, their taxpayers dollars have been used to reward folks who have insulted and disparaged those who defend this nation every day."