Investigators Releases Details Surrounding Air Force Bomber Crash
Today, we’re taking a closer look at a troubling incident involving a B-1B Lancer crash in South Dakota earlier this year. Valued at over $450 million, the aircraft missed the runway by just 100 feet, and the investigation report blames not only the aircrew but also a poor training culture at Ellsworth Air Force Base.
The crash occurred on January 4 during a training mission. The B-1B Lancer was attempting to land in adverse weather conditions, with low visibility and dense fog. Unfortunately, it crashed 100 feet short of the runway, skidded over 5,000 feet down the tarmac, and was engulfed in flames. The four crew members on board ejected, but two were injured and required medical treatment.
The investigation report, shared with Military.com, pointed out several critical failures. These included a failure to perform standard crew resource management, ineffective flying operations supervision, and a lack of situational awareness. It also highlighted an unhealthy organizational culture that led to degraded airmanship skills.
One particularly alarming finding was that one of the injured crew members was not wearing all the proper flight equipment. Additionally, another injured crew member’s weight exceeded the ejection seat’s recommended limit, which likely contributed to the severity of their injuries. The report noted this individual’s weight was nearly 260 pounds, well above the recommended limit of 211 pounds and even the Air Force’s higher recommendation of 245 pounds.
The B-1B was on a training mission alongside another Lancer aircraft. While the first aircraft landed successfully despite the dense fog, the second did not. The report detailed that the crash resulted from the crew’s failure to properly manage the aircraft’s airspeed and angle of approach, compounded by a lack of situational awareness and poor communication.
Col. Erick Lord, the investigation board president, emphasized that these issues reflect larger cultural problems within Ellsworth Air Force Base’s 34th Bomb Squadron and 28th Operations Support Squadron. He pointed to the crew’s shortcomings and lack of discipline as indicative of broader systemic issues.
“The preponderance of the evidence revealed an ineffective and unhealthy culture, which directly contributed to the mishap,” Lord wrote. He noted a lack of focus on basic airmanship skills, failure to properly identify and mitigate risks, and inadequate communication and program management.
Retired Col. J.F. Joseph, an aviation consultant, and expert witness, commented on the significance of the report’s findings regarding safety culture. He suggested that the crew members might face various forms of punishment or administrative actions and highlighted the importance of addressing the underlying cultural issues at the base.
Air Force Global Strike Command has stated that they are in the process of responding to the report and taking appropriate corrective actions. This incident marks the first crash of a B-1B in over a decade, the last being in August 2013 when a Lancer from Ellsworth crashed near Broadus, Montana. In that incident, the crew members also survived after ejecting from the aircraft.