B2 stealth bomber worth $2bn crash lands in Missouri

Aircraft has sustained some damage but no one was injured

File: A B-2 Stealth Bomber pulls up on the runway after landing at the Palmdale Aircraft Integration Center of Excellence in California in 2014 (AFP via Getty Images)

A US Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber worth $2bn crash landed at the Whiteman Air Force Base runway in Missouri on Tuesday.

The bomber resorted to emergency landing at around 12.30 am on Tuesday after experiencing an “in-flight malfunction” during a routine training mission, Jennifer Greene, an air force spokesperson, told KMBC 9 News.

The aircraft sustained some damage though there are no details available yet on the extent.

No injuries or casualties have been reported so far and the crash landing did not result in a fire, local media reports said. An investigation has been ordered into the crash landing.

The Federal Aviation Administration imposed a temporary flight restriction zone for six miles in all directions and about 8,000 feet from the ground after the accident. It is set to expire on 17 September.

Counted among the deadliest aircraft in the United States’s military arsenal, the B2 bomber can deliver conventional and nuclear munitions. It accommodates two pilots — one in the left seat and a commander in the right seat.

The entire fleet America’s B-2 bombers - there are 21 such aircraft ever manufactured for the US - has been stationed at the Whiteman Air Force Base since 17 December 1993.