Pilot Error Leads to B-1B Crash

  • Published
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. (ACCNS) --  Pilot error caused a B-1B aircraft to crash while landing on the runway at a forward deployed location May 8, according to an aircraft accident investigation report released in September.

The copilot suffered a minor back injury, and the other three crew members were not injured. Damage to the aircraft totaled nearly $7.9 million. Damage to the runway totaled approximately $14,025.

The aircraft is assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, 7th Bomb Wing, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.

Investigators concluded that the cause of the mishap was both pilots' failure to lower the landing gear during the aircraft's approach and landing. Contributing factors for the pilots' failure to lower the landing gear were the copilot's task over-saturation; the copilot's urgency to complete a long mission; both pilots' inattention to instrument readings and the Descent/Before Landing Checklist; and the copilot's false belief that the pilot had lowered the landing gear.

According to the report, the pilot unexpectedly turned over aircraft control to the copilot on the final approach. The pilot reported to the air traffic control tower that the landing gear was down despite the fact that the Descent/Before Landing Checklist was never completed and the landing gear was never lowered. The red warning light in the gear handle, indicating all landing gear was not down and locked, was illuminated for more than four minutes during the approach. Additionally, at the time the aircraft landed, the three green position lights, which illuminate after the landing gear has locked in the down position, were not illuminated