Stealth Cuts Short Its Second Flight : Low Oil Pressure Reading Forces It to Land After Hour
The B-2 Stealth bomber’s second flight came to a premature halt today when a low oil pressure reading forced pilots to land the $530-million plane an hour after takeoff.
“We don’t even know if it’s a problem yet. We’re concerned with it and will have to check it out,” said 1st Lt. Anu Sjaardema, an Air Force spokeswoman.
The radar-evading aircraft lifted off over the Mojave Desert at 7:29 a.m. for a three- to four-hour flight but returned at 8:36 a.m. because “there were some minor concerns with the oil pressure indicators,” she said.
“It was decided to land, which is a normal procedure during any type of flight,” she said.
Air Force Col. Richard S. Couch and Northrop Corp. chief test pilot Bruce J. Hinds “were never in any danger” but they “obviously would have liked to accomplish more,” she said.
Nevertheless, “we did achieve some of the things we set out to do, so we can’t say it wasn’t a successful flight,” Sjaardema said.
‘Faster’ and ‘Higher’
The B-2, a tailless flying wing, flew with its landing gear retracted for the first time and flew “a little bit faster and a little bit higher” than on the first flight in July, although the Air Force won’t specify the speed and altitude, she said.
The four-engine bomber, the world’s most expensive plane, is intended to carry nuclear bombs and, along with the conventional B-1, to replace the Air Force’s aging B-52 fleet. It is under fire in Congress because of its cost.
Each of the B-2’s four engines “has an accessory drive. One out of the four drives indicated low oil pressure,” Sjaardema said.
Each accessory drive is like a transmission, connected to each engine by a shaft. The drives power air turbine starters and hydraulic systems, Sjaardema said.
Air turbine starters are used to restart engines if they halt during flight. The B-2’s hydraulics apparently control its landing gear, but it isn’t known if they are used to move flaps and other control surfaces, as is the case on many planes. Tech. Sgt. Donn Clarius said there was no failure of the hydraulic system.
