A B-1 Bomber from Ellsworth Air Force base crashed over Broadus Montana early Monday morning. Officials say all four crew members escaped with only minor injuries.
Base officials say the Ellsworth B-1 crew was on a standard training mission in the Powder River MOA, or military operating area in Montana. Officials say the cause of the B-1 Bomber crash is not yet known, but crew members did eject and parachute to safety. Survivors were transported to the Spearfish and Rapid City hospitals for treatment. Their names are not being released at this time.
Colonel Kevin Kennedy is the Commander of the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth. He says crew members get very little practice for an actual ejection.
“It’s an instantaneous load of significant G-Forces to make sure the aircrew members are able to safely escape the aircraft if the aircraft is no longer in a flyable state, and it can be a fairly rough experience, but the Aces II ejection seats that we fly with is a highly reliable seat as proven in this case - all four crew members safely ejected and are now back safely with us,” says Kennedy.
Colonel Kennedy says he does not know the flight conditions at the time of the crash. He says that Ellsworth officials are investigating. Kennedy adds that all other B-1 flights at Ellsworth are suspended until further notice.