The U-S Air Force has moved an undisclosed number of B-1 bombers of the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City to a Texas base in connection with a crash this month at Ellsworth that destroyed one of the supersonic bombers.
Ellsworth officials said Thursday that the airfield has remained closed while the accident investigation team works to ensure it’s safe to launch the aircraft, meaning that training flights have been halted.
They said that moving some of the planes to Dyess AFB in Texas will allow the 28th to resume training while crash investigation keeps the planes at Ellsworth grounded. The airfield closed after the planes took off for Texas on Thursday.
The January 4th crash occurred at night during inclement weather as a 2-plane training mission returned to the base.
The lead bomber landed without incident, but the second crashed on approach, skidding down the runway before veering off. The four-person crew was able to eject but the bomber appears to be a total loss. In a story on its website,
Deployed to Texas along with the undisclosed number of bombers were the several hundred airmen who make up the ground crews for the planes
It is unknown when they would return to Ellsworth because while the Air Force says the crash investigation is ongoing, it isn’t saying when it will be finished.