On February 23, 2008, at the runway of Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.

A black shadow slowly begins to take off. Its name is "Spirit of Kansas".

It is one of the B-2 Spirits, a stealth strategic bomber with only 21 units worldwide.

However, at the moment of takeoff, the B-2 tilted at a dangerous angle in the air and crashed to the ground.

Black smoke billowed from the side of the runway, and decades of advanced technology began to burn in an instant.

Fortunately, the two pilots successfully ejected, but what was left was a pile of ashes worth a staggering $1.35 billion by the standards of that time.

According to the investigation at the time, the cause of the accident was simple yet fatal.

The cause was the moisture intrusion of three pressure sensors in Guam's humid climate.

These sensors were connected to the B-2's flight control computer and entered incorrect data, rendering it uncontrollable from the moment of takeoff.

In simple terms, it was like a "blind pilot" taking to the skies.

World's highest loss for a single piece of equipment

This accident is recorded as the most expensive accident involving a single aircraft in the world.

Item 
    Amount   Comparison
B-2 Spirit Crash    About $1.35 billion  5 times the F-35A
Boeing 787 Dreamliner    About $300 million  4 for the price of one B-2
Mercedes S-Class (based on $100,000)    About 13,500 units can be purchased
Private Jet (Gulfstream G700)    About 7 units can be purchased

In other words, one of those bombers could upgrade the infrastructure of a small town.

Insurance? Compensation? There is none for military aircraft.

The U.S. Department of Defense simply handles it as, "Oh, it flew away..."

Naturally, it is funded by the taxes of American citizens.

This incident remains a shocking event that revealed the vulnerabilities and limitations of the B-2 bomber in the history of air forces worldwide.

No matter how precise technology is, the fact that a single humid sensor can waste $1.35 billion.

Since then, there have been no B-2 crashes, but it set the record for the highest loss in aviation accident history.

In the video below, you can see the takeoff scene of the second aircraft and the recorded crash accident.