First loss of a B-2 Spirit Bomber

On 23 February 2008, while attempting to take off from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, a USAF B-2 Spirit bomber, Spirit of Kansas, crashed owing to moisture in three of its 24 air pressure sensors, which caused inaccurate data to be supplied to its flight computer. First introduced into service in 1997 at a unit cost in the region of $737 million - though some reports place the loss at $1.4billion - this was the first crash of a B-2 bomber. The aircraft were so expensive that only 21 were produced. The crew thought the aircraft had reached its take-off speed of 140 knots, but in reality it had only reached 130 knots. This meant that the sensors showed the aircraft to be in a nose down position causing it to demand a high level of pitch of around 30 degrees. This, together with the low take-off speed, caused the aircraft to stall and crash.