A catastrophic hydraulic system failure was the root cause of a 2022 B-2 Spirit stealth bomber crash that led to its retirement, according to an accident investigation board report released Tuesday by the Air Force.

The incident, which occurred at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, also highlighted a critical landing gear design flaw and a delayed firefighting decision that worsened the damage.

The B-2, assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing and nicknamed the “Spirit of Hawaii,” departed on the morning of Dec. 10, 2022, without incident. It later returned toward Whiteman for landing.

As the bomber approached the runway, the pilot began lowering the landing gear. The process began normally, with all three gear doors unlocking as expected.

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However, the investigation found that “a valve coupling within the right landing gear’s system failed,” causing a rapid loss of hydraulic fluid and pressure in the main system.

Warning lights began flashing in the cockpit, prompting the onboard computer to switch to a backup system in an attempt to repressurize the lines. This backup system also began rapidly losing fluid and pressure, leading the computer to cycle repeatedly between systems in a futile search for a solution.

The pilot initiated an emergency landing gear extension, successfully lowering the right gear.

The crew alerted air traffic control of an in-flight emergency due to hydraulic failure. Base personnel quickly prepared for a potential crash, calling in firefighters, ambulance teams, and rescue crews.

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But as the bomber touched down shortly before 2:30 p.m., the left landing gear failed to remain locked and collapsed under the plane’s weight.

With the right landing gear airborne and the aircraft veering left, the pilot “st[ood] up out of [the] seat to give it everything [he] had on the right brake,” according to the report.

The bomber’s left wing dragged for thousands of feet along the runway, shredding the wingtip against the concrete until a fuel tank ruptured, igniting a fire.

The aircraft slid to a halt nearly a mile past the point of gear collapse, leaving a trail of burning fuel along the runway. Both pilots escaped without injury, exiting without ejecting.

On the ground, the firefighting response became another critical point in the report’s findings.

The incident commander initially ordered firefighters to use only water, mistakenly believing that fire suppressant foam should be reserved “as a last resort.”

This decision delayed the foam’s deployment for approximately three and a half minutes, allowing the fire to spread further. Foam, the report noted, is far more effective than water when combating flammable liquid fires.

Once the foam was applied and the external fire partially subdued, firefighters moved in with handheld hoses to tackle internal flames. But around 3:00 p.m.—about 30 minutes after touchdown—a fuel tank in the left wing exploded, forcing crews to retreat and reapply foam.

Ten minutes later, a second, more powerful explosion occurred when another fuel tank detonated. The blast hurled a six-foot section of aircraft skin into the air, narrowly missing firefighters and scattering debris across the crash site.

This second explosion exposed the internal fire, finally allowing crews to spray it directly. The blaze was fully extinguished approximately one hour after the initial touchdown.

The board concluded that the primary cause of the accident was the hydraulic coupling valve failure, while the B-2’s landing gear design flaw was a significant contributing factor.

The delay in using fire suppressant foam was also cited as a factor that increased the severity of the damage.

The incident inflicted an estimated $27,500 in runway repairs and more than $300 million in damage to the aircraft’s left wing and landing gear.

After assessing the extent of the destruction, the Air Force decided the “Spirit of Hawaii” was beyond economical repair and retired the bomber.

The B-2 Spirit, one of the most advanced stealth bombers in the world, entered service in the 1990s at a cost of approximately $1.2 billion per aircraft.

Following this accident, only 19 B-2s remain in service, with the fleet expected to retire in the early 2030s.

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