A B-1 Bomber from Ellsworth Air Force base went down near Broadus, Montana Monday morning at around 9:30 Mountain time. Air Force Base officials say all four airmen escaped safely. No names are being released at this time.
Colonel Kevin Kennedy is the 28th Bomb Wing Commander at Ellsworth. He says he is not sure of flight conditions at the time of the crash, but says the crew was on a routine training mission involving low and high altitude flights.
“We had an aircraft out in the Powder River training airspace in the Powder River MOA that crashed. Four air crew on board - the four aviators were all able to safely eject out of the aircraft and they were all four currently under medical care and all four have minor injuries but nothing that is life-threatening at this time. They are all receiving care and their families have been notified,” says Kennedy.
Kennedy says the flight crew successfully ejected themselves from the plane and parachuted to safety. He says the crewmen are on their way to Rapid City and Spearfish hospitals for treatment. Kennedy says a temporary no-fly zone has also been ordered over the crash site and flights of other B-1’s at Ellsworth are suspended until further notice. He says commercial air traffic is not expected to be impacted. Colonel Kennedy says officials from Ellsworth are on their way to the crash site and the investigation is continuing. He says the B-1 Bomber that went down was built in 1985.