U.S. B-1B commander relieved of command following crash

Col. Mark Kimball, commander of the 28th Operations Group at Ellsworth Air Force Base, has been relieved of his command following a loss of trust and confidence in his ability to lead, according to a press release from the Air Force Global Strike Command Public Affairs.

This decision by Col. Derek C. Oakley, commander of the 28th Bomb Wing, stems from the findings of an Accident Investigation Board (AIB) report into the crash of a B-1B bomber on January 4.

The crash occurred during the landing sequence after a training flight. All four crew members were able to eject from the aircraft, with two sustaining minor injuries. The incident led to the complete loss of the $450 million bomber.

According to the AIB report, the primary cause of the accident was the crew’s failure to properly manage the aircraft’s airspeed and angle of approach, compounded by changes in local wind direction during landing.

The report highlighted multiple contributing factors, including poor crew resource management, adverse weather conditions, ineffective flight operations supervision, and a lack of situational awareness regarding airfield conditions.

It also pointed to an organisational culture at Ellsworth AFB that tolerated deteriorating airmanship skills, lack of discipline, poor communication, and insufficient adherence to regulations.

Col. Oakley stated, “Col. Mark Kimball was relieved of command due to a loss of trust and confidence in his ability to command, based on the findings of an Accident Investigation Board report into the Jan. 4 crash of a B-1B bomber at Ellsworth.”

The U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command has announced that appropriate corrective actions will be taken in response to the report’s findings. For detailed information, the Accident Investigation Board report is available on the Air Force Judge Advocate General Accident Investigation Board website.

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