The US Air Force Accident Investigation Board (AIB) released a report on August 6th regarding the December 10, 2022, incident involving a B-2A bomber at Whiteman Air Force Base. The report concluded that a faulty hydraulic fitting led to landing gear failure, causing the aircraft's left wing to scrape the ground during landing and veer off the runway.
As the B-2, tail number 90-0041, nicknamed Spirit of Hawaii, prepared to land at Whiteman, the onboard computer warned of a hydraulic leak. The nose gear and left main landing gear deployed normally, but the right main landing gear failed to extend.
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The B-2 bomber, nicknamed Spirit of Hawaii, after the December 2022 incident at Whiteman Air Force Base. Photo: USAF |
The B-2 bomber, nicknamed Spirit of Hawaii, after the December 2022 incident at Whiteman Air Force Base. Photo: USAF
The pilot then initiated the emergency landing gear extension system. Indicator lights confirmed that all three sets of landing gear were down and locked. Air traffic control cleared the aircraft for a normal landing.
Upon touchdown, the B-2's left landing gear collapsed. The left wing scraped the runway, causing the aircraft to skid onto the adjacent grass. The underside of the left wing was damaged, and a fuel tank in the wingtip ruptured, igniting a fire that spread to another fuel tank.
Firefighters initially focused on containing the external fire. However, rising temperatures inside the left wing caused two fuel tanks to explode, blowing off a section of the upper wing surface. Firefighters then gained access to the internal fire, extinguishing it completely after about an hour.
The AIB emphasized that the aircraft's landing parameters, including speed, altitude, and weight, indicated a normal landing. Investigators focused on the landing gear's operation during the emergency deployment.
Analysis revealed that while the emergency system addressed the initial right landing gear fault, it also reduced the hydraulic pressure needed to keep the left landing gear locked. Upon touchdown, the sudden increase in force overwhelmed the partially extended left landing gear, causing it to collapse.
The AIB estimated the damage to the B-2 at over $300 million USD, with an additional $27,500 USD in damage to Whiteman Air Force Base. The accident disabled the runway at Whiteman, the sole base for the B-2 Spirit fleet, for a week and grounded the fleet for six months.
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The damaged left wing of the B-2 after the fuel tank explosion on December 10, 2022. Photo: AIB |
The damaged left wing of the B-2 after the fuel tank explosion on December 10, 2022. Photo: AIB
The B-2 Spirit, unveiled in 1988, is a strategic bomber and the most expensive aircraft in history. The original cost of a B-2 was $515 million USD, equivalent to $1.06 billion USD today. Including research and development, each Spirit costs $2.1 billion USD.
The US produced 21 B-2 Spirit stealth bombers. One was destroyed in a 2008 takeoff accident in Guam. Another was severely damaged by a ground fire in 2010 but was repaired and returned to service at a significant cost.
On May 11th, the Pentagon announced the retirement of the Spirit of Hawaii due to the high cost of repairs. This marks the second B-2 lost due to an accident. The US Air Force now has 19 B-2s, one of which is undergoing long-term repairs following a landing gear collapse in 2021.
Nguyen Tien (Aviationist, AFP, AP)
