One of two pilots who ejected from a B-2 stealth bomber that crashed Saturday on Guam is being treated for a spinal compression injury at Tripler Army Medical Center, a Pacific Air Forces spokesman said yesterday.

The unidentified pilot from the 509th Bomb Wing arrived at Tripler on Sunday, said Tech Sgt. Tom Czerwinski.

"The only word we had was that he was in good condition," Czerwinski said.

The B-2 Spirit bomber crashed at Andersen Air Force Base on Guam shortly after takeoff Saturday morning Guam time. A second pilot was medically evaluated and released.

It was the first crash for the batwing bomber, which cost at least $1.2 billion.

The B-2 was one of four deployed to Andersen from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri as part of U.S. Pacific Command's continuous bomber presence on Guam.

Czerwinski said the B-2 that crashed was the "Spirit of Kansas."

B-2s from Andersen usually fly over Hawai'i about once a month for training. On Feb. 12, the "Spirit of Kitty Hawk" was parked on the tarmac at Hickam Air Force Base.

The Air Force had invited military officials and the media to inspect the boomerang-shaped aircraft.

The radar-evading bombers dropped 500-pound and 2,000-pound dummy concrete bombs at Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island in more than 20-hour roundtrips from Guam.

The B-2s were being replaced on Guam with six B-52 bombers from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. A "safety pause" was in effect for the Air Force's 20 remaining B-2s, including the three on Guam, but the aircraft could be flown in the event of an actual mission, officials said.

The B-2 that went down was the second of a two-aircraft formation. The Air Force said the aircraft lifted off but then crashed on the runway. There were no injuries to personnel on the ground or damage to buildings.

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.