B-1 bomber crashes at South Dakota Air Force base; crew safely ejects

A B-1 Lancer bomber flying out of Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota crashed Thursday, the U.S. Air Force said in a statement.

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All four of its crew members ejected safely, The Associated Press reported.

The B-1 crashed “at approximately 5:50 p.m. today (Thursday) while attempting to land on the installation. At the time of the accident, it was on a training mission. There were four aircrew on board. All four ejected safely,” the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth said in the statement.

The AP noted that at the time of the crash, visibility was poor, with freezing temperatures and low clouds.

The B-1 aircraft is a supersonic bomber that first came into service during the Reagan Administration in the 1980s.

Only 100 B-1s were originally built, with fewer than 60 remaining in service today. The planes are kept at the Dyess Air Force Base in Texas and Ellsworth.

The investigation into the cause of the crash is continuing.

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