Originally published on August 20, 2013
A B-1 Bomber plane crashed, incinerating in southeastern Montana during a testing exercise, the Air Force has said. There were two pilots and two engineers on board the 1980s era aircraft when it began to malfunction. All four were forced to eject their seats.
All four landed on the wide open field terrain around the massive crash site. Injuries were sustained, although none were life-threatening, air force officials reported.
Webpronews reported that: "The crash took place sometime before 9 o'clock this morning during what Air Force officials called a routine training mission. Emergency services from around the region were called in to assist with the situation, including volunteer firefighters from nearby Ekalaka and the Carter County Sheriff's Department."
A B-1 bomber runs the Air Force about $238 million per plane. The latest incident is the third major plane crash of the Air Force fleet in the last few months.
According to abcNews online: "The last time a B-1B was destroyed in a crash was on Dec. 12, 2001, when a bomber involved in the war in Afghanistan slammed into the Indian Ocean near the island of Diego Garcia, Herritage said. A cause has never been determined. The crew had reported having difficulty controlling the bomber. All four crewmen ejected safely, including the pilot and co-pilot, who were from Ellsworth.
"At the start of the war in Afghanistan, B-1Bs and B-52s were making almost daily bombing runs over the country and began pounding al-Qaida mountain hide-outs in the Tora Bora region.
"In April 2008, an Ellsworth B-1B bomber caught fire after landing at al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar. The crew members all escaped safely. A month earlier, an Ellsworth B-1B collided with two emergency-response vehicles during landing after reporting an in-flight emergency at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam."
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