We will never know what really happened. The military is under no obligation to share that with us. We do not have a need to know. The investigation will take at least a year.

Considering that there is nothing left but a large black smudge on the pavement, I think that even they will have a hard time determining cause. Perhaps there is video of the crash. I know that it is against regs for most to take pics/videos, but being a test site, I'd imagine that there is some way to have videos.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
Looks like they only made it about halfway down the runway. Wonder if they even got airborne.

As V-tail stated.

It was airborne 3+ minutes and had made a near 180 degree heading turn after takeoff.

There is more than can be resolved from the distance of images already made available.

And likely quite a few eyes, and perhaps some video will be turned in.

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:

...It was airborne 3+ minutes and had made a near 180 degree heading turn after takeoff...

Can you post a link? Many of us are interested in the details.

My wife found a post with a few photos, looked like the majority of the fuselage was gone, some charring on the wings, cockpit looked mostly intact.

With what V-Tail posted on Pg 1, my mind was thinking stalled wing or catastrophic loss of control, inverted & nose down, with that descent rate.

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:

...It was airborne 3+ minutes and had made a near 180 degree heading turn after takeoff...

Can you post a link? Many of us are interested in the details.

Link.
https://www.washingtonexaminer...edwards-afb-details/


But this report retracts the first, so we are back to "information is fluid...".

https://www.dallasnews.com/new...-mile-a-22308108.php

"This story has been updated to correct details of the bomber’s flight based on data analysis by AirNav Systems. AirNav now says the plane took off toward the southwest, not the northeast flew straight and crashed almost immediately, and was not airborne for 3 minutes and did not make a turn. It flew straight and crashed almost immediately."

quote:

Originally posted by alreadydead:
We will never know what really happened. The military is under no obligation to share that with us. We do not have a need to know. The investigation will take at least a year.

This statement is somewhat inaccurate. There will be two investigations. The first one will be conducted under the guidance of the Air Force Flight Safety Office. Since this is a Class A mishap the safety investigation team will be led by a general officer. It will have at least one B-52 pilot, a B-52 MX rep, a medical rep, and other specialties as needed. This team will collect and examine physical evidence from the crash scene (this is already happening under the guidance of the local flight safety office), conduct in person interviews with anyone involved (including family members that cooperate), and do extensive background checks and record reviews of all people and equipment involved. Military members are required to cooperate with this investigation; you HAVE to talk to the Safety guys! The report/results/conclusions from this investigation are not releasable to the public, including family members of the aircrew, and cannot be used in any sort of punitive or legal process.

The second investigation is conducted by an Accident Investigation Board. This investigation has access to the physical evidence collected by the Safety board but conducts their own interviews. You can decline to talk to them and (I believe) can have a lawyer with you if you choose to talk to them. This investigation is releasable to the public and can be used in any punitive process deemed necessary.

Sometimes the two investigations reach different conclusions. I personally know of one accident that resulted in the total loss of a C-130 with only minor injuries, a taxi incident that resulted in a fire. The Safety board placed primary responsibility on improper mx/parts; the AIB placed primary blame on the crew. The Wing Commander placed more credence in the Safety report and chose not to punish the crew.

This is obviously a difficult time for everyone involved. My sympathies go out to everyone affected.