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Posted on 12/12/2001 12:00:04 PM PST by MeekOneGOP
Wednesday December 12 3:32 PM ET
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By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - An Air Force B-1B bomber flying a long-range combat mission to Afghanistan (news - web sites) crashed in the Indian Ocean Wednesday and all four crew members were rescued, Pentagon (news - web sites) officials said.
``The crew is reportedly in good condition,'' said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman.
The crew declared an in-flight emergency about 100 miles north of Diego Garcia, a British-controlled island from which the plane took off, Davis said. The crew was rescued at about 11:30 a.m. EST by a U.S. Navy (news - web sites) destroyer that was dispatched to the scene along with a Navy P-3 Orion plane and an Air Force KC-10 aerial refueling plane. The crew apparently was in the water about two hours.
The B1-B went down about 60 miles north of Diego Garcia, a position that would indicate the pilot had turned back toward Diego Garcia after declaring an emergency.
It was the first fixed-wing U.S. warplane to go down since the war began Oct. 7 and the first B1-B to crash on a combat mission since the supersonic long-range bomber became operational in 1987.
The B-1 has been used extensively in the war in Afghanistan, along with B-52 heavy bombers. Both fly from Diego Garcia.
A KC-10 refueling tanker flew to the B1-B crash site and established voice contact with a member of the bomber crew, according to a statement by U.S. Central Command, which is overseeing combat operations in Afghanistan. The KC-10 crew saw a strobe light blinking at the crash site.
Later, the Navy destroyer USS Russell arrived and launched a small vessel, known as a rigid hull inflatable boat, which rescued the crew. The B1-B's home base is Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., home of the 28th Bomb Wing, Pentagon officials said.
There was no indication of the cause of the crash, Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke said.
``This underscores what we try to remember all the time - that the men and women in the U.S. military put their lives at risk every single day,'' Clarke said. ``And we're grateful.''
The Air Force estimates the cost of a B1-B at $280 million. The most recent previous crash was in Kentucky in February 1998; all four crew members ejected safely. The most recent previous fatal crash was in September 1997 in Montana; all four members of the crew perished.
Earlier Stories
Crew Saved After U.S. Bomber Crash (December 12)
Crew Rescued After Bomber Goes Down (December 12)
Crew Rescued from Downed U.S. Bomber (December 12)
U.S. Bomber Crashes in Indian Ocean (December 12)
An undated photo of the B-1B long-range bomber, similar to the one that went down Wednesday, Dec.12, 2001, in the Indian Ocean, about 30 miles north of Diego Garcia, a base being used by bombers in the anti-terrorism campaign in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/US Air Force)
This undated file photo shows US B1 bombers, similar to one that has crashed into the Indian Ocean, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Diego Garcia, a base being used by bombers in the anti-terrorism campaign in Afghanistan, the Pentagon announced, Wednesday Dec. 12, 2001. (AP Photo/US Department of Defense via PA) UK OUT, MAGS OUT, NO SALES
Probably depends on how you count. According to an earlier post 280 million, that may be recurring costs only, not including the developement program costs. But then again it may not be. It has been quite some time since any were built. In effect they are priceless, since we can't buy another one if we wanted to. The company that made them, Rockwell/North American, doesn't exist anymore. More properly it has become part of Boeing, IIRC.
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