A B-2 Spirit Bomber, one bearing tail number 89-0129 and known as the Spirit of Georgia, was heavily damaged at Whiteman Air Force Base on September 14, 2021, when a hydraulic failure resulted in emergency gear extension as the left main-gear lock failed. The landing gear collapsed upon landing, scraping the wing. This ultimately made the process of getting the jet back into combat shape much more complicated than a simple patch job.
The Air Force had to prove that the primary structure was within tolerance of the payload burdens, and it also had to create one-time ferry-flight repairs to reach Plant 42. Then the organization had to complete a four-phase composite rebuild, testing, and overall airworthiness certification. This preserved overall stealth geometry and radar-absorbent surface performance were all key pieces of the puzzle when it came to getting this aircraft into working order. The plane only made its way back into the skies on November 6, 2025, after extensive repair efforts.
Why Did These Repairs Take So Long?
The big question that emerges from this is why it took the Air Force four years to repair this specific aircraft. For starters, the service had to make the jet safe enough for a one-time ferry flight before laser dimensional checks and finite-element analysis occurred. The aircraft had to go through a number of inspections before it could even fly to Plant 42 on September 22, 2022, for repairs. These temporary fixes were estimated to cost $52 million and cut an incredible nine months off the overall depot timeline, according to documents published by the United States Air Force.
Second, the permanent work was effective when it came to reconstructing the aircraft’s stealth-capable wing. Engineers designed a repair, and they later proved that it could work on test panels. They later installed this on a large piece of composite skin and then produced airworthiness documentation that justified the fix. Heat control was also needed for composites, and a contamination cleanup in fuel-tank areas also had to be completed. These structural repairs were finally finished on May 12, 2025, and the aircraft was tested extensively before it eventually re-entered service this month.
A Permanent Repair Package With A Hefty Price Tag
Financially, the headline here is overall leverage. The United States Air Force says that the permanent repair package at Plant 42 was valued at $23.7 million, and that the temporary work that enabled the ferry flight ultimately generated around $52 million in overall cost avoidance while also shortening the schedule. In terms of a multi-billion-dollar stealth bomber, this small overall cost was fully justified by the United States Air Force.
The project itself highlighted that repairing these kinds of aircraft is extremely challenging, but that it could be fully done. The organization demonstrated that large composite repairs were possible, and they refined the scarf-repair process that could be used for similar incidents in the future. This will hopefully allow for composite work in the future to be done more efficiently and at a lower cost.
The Department of Defense spends tens of billions annually on aircraft sustainment, and many individual fleets miss mission-capable goals. Against this overall backdrop, sustainment contracts, such as that of the B-2, will benefit when one-off lessons ultimately become standard practice.
US Air Force Says Hydraulic Failure Caused B-2 Bomber Torching
No one was injured during the incident.
A Strategic Liability For The Air Force
From a strategic perspective, restoring the Spirit of Georgia is more about maintaining as much operational capacity as possible. The B-2 is the only United States-built low-observable heavy bomber designed to penetrate air defenses, and it can support both conventional and thermonuclear strike missions.
With a force that is measured in just over a dozen aircraft, one grounded aircraft can meaningfully reduce overall capacity and training throughput. A four-year repair time also highlights something that adversaries will keep their eyes on closely. The key question has now become whether the United States can regenerate high-combat power after accidents or battle damage, especially when it comes to delicate stealth structures.
Plant 42’s work, alongside the emphasis placed on maintaining transferable composite-reinforcing techniques, helps build up the aircraft program’s credibility. It also helps highlight just how prepared the United States will be when the B-21 Raider enters service, with an industrial and engineering base already in place.