Broken brake caused B-1 to hit fire trucks

Broken brake caused B-1 to hit fire trucks
By Bruce Rolfsen - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Sep 5, 2008 7:43:09 EDT

A broken parking brake caused the multi-million dollar flight line accident that damaged a B-1B Lancer and two fire trucks at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, in March, according to Air Force investigation.

And two separate crash landings in May were caused by pilot errors, investigations decided.

On March 7, a B-1B assigned to the 28th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, made an emergency landing at Andersen after the bomber’s Number 3 hydraulic system malfunctioned, the accident investigation board said in a report issued Sept. 3.

After the jet came to a stop on a taxiway with the parking brake on, Andersen’s emergency response team spotted a large hydraulic leak on the plane’s right side. To prevent a fire, the aircrew shut down the jet’s four engines. That’s what caused the emergency brake system to lose pressure, investigators concluded.

Twenty seconds later, the plane began to roll forward. First, the jet’s nose struck a fire truck. Then, the left wing hit a second truck, wedging the truck under the wing and stopping the jet.


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/09/airforce_aircraft_accidents_090408w/%2e