BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- An Air Force Global Strike Command Accident Investigation Board completed its investigation of a B-2A Spirit mishap that occurred at Whiteman Air Force Base on December 10, 2022.
The B-2A sortie was uneventful until the aircraft experienced a hydraulic system failure related to the Main Landing Gear (MLG) during its final approach to land. The aircrew declared an in-flight emergency and followed procedures for an emergency landing gear extension. Upon landing, the Left Main Landing Gear (LMLG) collapsed immediately, causing the left wing to strike the runway and drag for several thousand feet as the aircrew worked to bring the aircraft to a stop.
The B-2A came to a stop 9,062 ft down the runway, with the left wingtip on fire in the infield. The fire, fed from the left surge fuel tank, caused the left surge fuel tank to explode, then spread to the left outboard fuel tank, which exploded shortly afterwards.
There were no injuries because of the mishap. Damage to the left wing and LMLG is estimated to be over $300 million. The incident also caused approximately $27,500 in damage to the airfield.
The AIB President determined, by a preponderance of evidence, that the mishap was caused by a failure of a truck position sequence valve hydraulic coupling.
In addition to the primary cause, the AIB identified two substantially contributing factors:
- Main Landing Gear Design Vulnerabilities: The MLG design vulnerabilities allowed the lock link assembly to move out of the required over-center (locked) position during the emergency gear extension.
- Delayed Fire Suppression: A delay in the application of Aqueous Film Forming Foam to extinguish the fire allowed the flames to spread, causing more damage to the aircraft.
Following the incident, AFGSC temporarily suspended B-2A flights to inspect the fleet. Even during this pause, AFGSC maintained the ability to deploy B-2As for nuclear deterrence and long-range strike missions if needed. Full flight operations resumed on May 22, 2023.
To view the investigation report visit; https://www.afjag.af.mil/AIB-Reports/.