B-1 Bomber Crashes
CBS News reports a B-1 bomber crashed this morning in a remote area of southeast Montana, but the crew of four escaped with minor injuries. According a spokesperson with Ellsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City the crash happened Monday morning near August 19, 2013 Broadus. Two pilots and two weapon systems officers were on board, a base spokesman told CBS station MTN in Missoula, Montana. All four of the crew members ejected from the plane survived the crash.
Few other details are available at this hour. Ellsworth AFB is the home of the 28th Bomb Wing. They maintain and fly 28 B-1 bombers and are home to two of the Air Forces’ three B-1 combat squadrons.
“We are actively working to ensure the safety of the crew members and have sent first responders to secure the scene and work closely with local authorities at the crash site,” said Col. Kevin Kennedy, 28th Bomb Wing commander. “Right now all of our thoughts and prayers are with the crews and their families.”
There are roughly 60 B-1′s remaining in the U.S. Air Force fleet. Residents of Ekalaka, tell MTN that the emergency sirens in that town were activated about 9:30 a.m. to alert the fire department of that crash.
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Montana — Col. Robert Stanley, 341st Missile Wing commander relieved Col. David Lynch (at right) from command of the 341st SFG due to a loss of confidence in Lynch’s ability to lead his group on August 22.
The SFG has four security forces squadrons and more than 1,200 personnel. It is responsible for providing security and force protection for the 341 MW, including its main base, 15 launch control centers and 150 intercontinental ballistic missile silos in Montana.
Lynch’s removal is not a result of the recent Nuclear Surety Inspection failure. However, as the 341 MW prepares for a re-inspection, Stanley must have full confidence in the leadership ability of his commanders. The 341st MW received an “Unsatisfactory” rating during a NSI this month; however the wing continues to remain certified to perform its mission. During a portion of an exercise in one of 13 graded areas unrelated to the control of nuclear weapons, a team did not demonstrate the right procedures. As a result, the inspector general failed them on that exercise, which resulted in the overall “Unsatisfactory” rating. Col. John Wilcox, Air Force Global Strike Command Security Forces Division director, will serve as the interim commander. Thanks to 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs Office 8/25/2013
(Note: Rumors had surfaced a few weeks after the above crash that the Malmstrom AFB commander (341st Missile Wing) was relieved of duty because a UFO was seen on radar and brought down the B1. The rumor stated that the commander was relieved of command because he did not scramble fighters to intercept the UFO. This rumor has never been substantiated. The above article written by the Public Affairs Office of the 341st Missile Wing discusses the removal of the commander, but does not list a reason. The commander was removed a few days after the “B-1 Incident.” At this time it is still not known what caused the crash of the B-1. The Air Force is still investigating the incident. The bomber was likely participating in military exercises in the Military Operations Area (MOA) located in Southeastern Montana.
The radar chart above doesn’t show any UFOs in the area when the aircraft was losing altitude. One radar return was detected at around 15,000 feet in the same location where the aircraft went down. However, only one return showed up. This return could have been a radar “angel” or weather related and not a real object. Multiple detects are necessary to confirm that the radar is tracking a real object. The B-1 first appeared on radar at 8:52 AM and was taking off from Ellsworth Air Force Base (AFB) near Rapid City, SD. The aircraft was lost from radar at 9:11 AM. In the last 5 seconds of radar data the aircraft descended 500 feet. Radar data was supplied by the US Air Force. This entry was posted in 2013, Montana, news-2012-onward