All B-1B Bombers Have Been Grounded (Updated)
The swing-wing bombers have become increasingly unreliable after years of constant work over Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan.
By Stephen Walker April 22, 2021
The War Zone
B-1Bs at Tinker's Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Training Center
72nd Air Base Wing Public Affair—Public Domain
On April 8, B-1B Lancer serial number 86-0104 experienced a ground emergency relating to an augmenter fuel pump filter housing, after landing at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. Air Force Global Strike Command's public affairs office has now confirmed that subsequent precautionary one-time inspections carried out on all B-1B aircraft as a result of the discrepancy produced concerning enough results that more invasive inspections were ordered, along with a fleet-wide grounding earlier this week.
The inspections will be performed under the guidance of a Time Compliance Technical Order (TCTO), and each jet will be returned to service individually upon completion. There is no timeline presently for when the B-1Bs are expected to be flying again. Air Force Global Strike Command's (AFGSC) public affairs office told us that other bombers — B-52 and B-2 aircraft — will continue to support combatant commands across the globe.
USAF
The immediate inspection of 86-0104 on April 8 revealed a massive hole in the filter housing. This filter is on the outside of the F101-GE-102 engine, but plays a crucial role. Needless to say, with a hole, it leaks large amounts of fuel. 86-0104 had been seen trailing a large plume of unburned fuel on landing. A pressurized fuel leak is a hazard in itself, but if the filter housing is not functioning properly, the pilots cannot select augmented thrust — better known as afterburners.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/40282/all-b-1b-bombers-have-been-grounded
