A U.S. Air Force B-1 bomber crashed into the Indian Ocean yesterday en route to attack targets in Afghanistan, according to Defense Department officials.  All four crew members were successfully rescued.

The B-1 went out of control and crashed 60 miles north of the Diego Garcia island base soon after takeoff, according to the Washington Post.  “There were multiple aircraft system malfunctions which made it impossible to fly the aircraft,” said pilot Capt. William Steele.  The crew attempted for 15 minutes to return the plane to Diego Garcia before deciding to eject, Steele said.

The crew bailed out of the plane at 15,000 feet and was rescued by the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Russell two hours later, the Post reported.  The B-1 is the first manned, fixed-wing aircraft lost during the war in Afghanistan (Steve Vogel, Washington Post, Dec. 13).

Enemy fire did not cause the malfunctions on the plane, Steele said.  He added that the crew suffered only minor injuries when they ejected.  “I will say that going through an ejection like that is about the most violent thing I’ve ever felt,” Steele said.  “We’re all pretty bruised up and have some cuts, but overall we’re doing very well” (Federal News Service transcript, Dec. 12).

There are about 90 B-1s in service, according to a U.S. Air Force data sheet (see GSN, Dec. 7).  The bomber, first designed for nuclear missions, can reach heights of 30,000 feet and travel faster than 900 miles per hour.  The B-1 carries about 80 500-pound conventional bombs but can be fitted for nuclear weapons. Each plane costs more than $200 million, according to the New York Times (David Stout, New York Times, Dec. 13).

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