The crew of a B-1B Lancer that crashed at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota in January failed to properly manage the bomber’s airspeed and angle of approach while landing, according to an accident investigation board report released by Air Force Global Strike Command. The investigation found various factors contributing to the crash, including poor weather conditions, lack of discipline, poor resource management, and a culture that tolerated decaying airmanship skills.
The report criticized the lack of effective supervision of flying operations and failure to communicate airfield and weather conditions by the 34th Bomb Squadron and the 28th Operations Support Squadron, respectively. It concluded that the mishap was a result of a culture of noncompliance and deviation from established policy and procedure.
The four members of the bomber’s air crew ejected during the crash; two sustained injuries and were treated and released from a medical facility. The B-1 bomber, assigned to the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth, was engulfed in fire and declared a total loss.
The crash was caused by the crew’s lack of an effective composite crosscheck, leading to complacency and fixation. Poor weather conditions and lack of awareness of airfield conditions also substantially contributed to the crash. No maintenance issues were found to have played a role.
The loss of the B-1 bomber further diminished the fleet, which now numbers 44. The Air Force hopes to maintain a fleet of B-1s, along with the B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress, until the B-21 Raider comes online.
Ellsworth halted B-1 operations after the crash, closing the runway for a month, while some B-1s were sent to Dyess Air Force Base in Texas. During this time, Ellsworth B-1s participated in strikes against Iran-linked targets in Iraq and Syria.
