Associated Press
WASHINGTON – An Air Force B-1B bomber involved in the war in Afghanistan went down in the Indian Ocean today and all four crew members were rescued, Pentagon officials said.
The crew members were taken aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer that was sent to the crash site, according to Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman. There was no immediate word on their condition.
It was the first fixed-wing U.S. warplane to go down since the war began Oct. 7. Officials said it was not immediately clear whether the supersonic B1-B was returning from a mission over Afghanistan or leaving for a mission.
An Air Force 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 the rescued crew was taken aboard.
The crash occurred at 11:30 a.m. Eastern time.
There was no indication of the cause, Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke said.
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