U.S. Air Force Grounds The Entire B-1 Bomber Fleet

Aircrew members do preflight checks on a B-1B Lancer bomber as part of an exercise at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, August 13, 2014. US Air Force/Senior Airman Zachary Hada

Business Insider: Air Force Global Strike Command has ordered its B-1 bombers to stand down after finding 'an issue with ejection seat components'

* Air Force Global Strike Command has ordered a safety stand-down for its B-1B Lancer bombers.
* The order comes after a Lancer made an emergency landing in Texas in May.
* The Air Force has dealt with a spate of aircraft incidents in recent months, and an investigation into the May incident is ongoing.

US Air Force Global Strike Command, which oversees the entire Air Force bomber fleet, ordered a safety stand down for its B-1B Lancer bombers on June 7, following an emergency landing by a Lancer in Texas in May.

"During the safety investigation process following an emergency landing of a B-1B in Midland, Texas, an issue with ejection seat components was discovered that necessitated the stand-down," the command said in a release. "As issues are resolved aircraft will return to flight."

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WNU Editor: Here is a closeup of the missing escape hatch that has resulted in the grounding of the entire fleet (link is here). Another pic is here.

There are about 67 B-1Bs in the fleet.

More News On The U.S. Air Force Grounding Its Entire B-1 Bomber Fleet

Air Force B-1B bombers grounded after a problem with its ejection seats -- Air Force Times
The Air Force Has Grounded All Of Its B-1Bs Over A Fault In Their Ejection Seats -- Warzone/The Drive
US Air Force B-1 bomber fleet grounded after issue with ejection seats, officials say -- FOX News
US Air Force temporarily grounds all B-1 bombers for safety reasons -- CNN
Air Force grounds B-1 bombers due to safety concerns -- Washington Times
Air Force grounds B-1 bombers after ejection seat incident -- Washington Examiner