The Most Expensive Aircraft Crash in History

About this video

Max analyzes the February 23, 2008 crash of a B-2 Spirit bomber at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, which he describes as the most expensive aviation crash in history at $1.4 billion (nearly $2 billion in today’s money). According to Max’s breakdown of the Air Force accident investigation report, moisture in the aircraft’s air data sensors caused erroneous airspeed and angle-of-attack readings, leading the flight control computer to command an aggressive pitch-up during takeoff that stalled the aircraft. Max explains that both pilots ejected safely with relatively minor injuries, and notes that some crews knew to turn on pitot heat before calibration to prevent moisture issues, but this knowledge was not effectively communicated.

Key takeaways

• Max states the crash was caused by moisture in air data sensors that provided false readings to the flight control computer, showing 158 knots when the aircraft was actually traveling at 124 knots
• According to Max’s account of the investigation, certain crews and maintenance personnel knew to activate pitot heat before air data calibration to evaporate moisture, but this critical information was not effectively communicated
• Max explains that the B-2’s flush-mounted sensors, designed to maintain stealth characteristics, are more sensitive to moisture than the protruding sensors on conventional aircraft

Episode details: published July 28, 2024 · 43.5K views · 11:45 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. The analysis and commentary described are Max Afterburner’s, attributed to him — his channel includes hypothetical-scenario and news-react content, which is presented as his analysis, not established fact.

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