B-2 stealth bomber crash caused by single component failure
Posted on August 6, 2025 by alert5
A single hydraulic component failure caused a B-2A stealth bomber to crash-land at Whiteman Air Force Base in December 2022, resulting in more than $300 million in aircraft damage, according to a U.S. Air Force investigation report released on Aug. 5.
The mishap occurred when a CryoFit hydraulic coupling failed during the aircraft’s landing gear extension on Dec. 10, 2022, causing rapid hydraulic fluid loss in both primary and backup systems. The failure forced the crew to perform an emergency gear extension, but the left main landing gear collapsed upon touchdown, dragging the aircraft’s left wing down the runway and igniting fuel that led to two explosions.
Both crew members escaped without injury from the aircraft, tail number 90-0041, assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. The investigation found no crew error contributed to the mishap.
Colonel Jesse W. Lamarand, who led the 18-month Accident Investigation Board, determined the truck position sequence valve hydraulic coupling failure was the primary cause. The coupling, which requires liquid nitrogen for installation, expelled from its fitting and created an opening that rapidly drained hydraulic fluid from both systems.
https://alert5.com/2025/08/06/b-2-stealth-bomber-crash-caused-by-single-component-failure/
