According to Air Combat Command, a leak in the hydraulic fluid system and sparks from a faulty brake caused the fire that damaged a B-1B landing at Andersen AFB, Guam, on Sept. 15, 2005. An accident investigation report estimates the cost of the damage at more than $32 million, plus another $184,000 to repair the runway. The report notes that movement of one and failure of a second bushing allowed the brake to press into the wheel and gouge the rim. That action precipitated a critical pin to break, producing the hydraulic leak.
Happy Birthday US Air Force: 78 Today
Sept. 18, 2025
Seventy-eight years ago today, on Sept. 18, 1947, Supreme Court Chief Justice Fred Vinson swore in Stuart Symington as the first ever Secretary of the Air Force, and the Air Force officially became the first new military service since the Revolutionary War.
