PIERRE, Jan. 5 (Sputnik) – The B-1 bomber is a nuclear-capable, jet-powered aircraft. With the largest payload of guided and unguided bombs, high speed and impressive handling, it is considered the backbone of the US bomber fleet. Of the 100 originally built, less than 60 remain in active service.

A B-1 Lancer bomber crashed during a training mission on Thursday in South Dakota, US military officials have confirmed.

According to a statement by the Ellsworth Air Force Base, the crash occurred at around 5:50 p.m. local time while attempting to land at the base during a training operation.

The statement confirmed all four crew members on board managed to safely eject from the aircraft. The bomber reportedly exploded after it crashed. Unverified emergency transmissions shared across social media described officials working to control an active fire at the scene.

According to media reports, the weather was foggy and icy in the area at the time of the crash. The accident was confined to the base itself, though nearby residents claimed on social media they felt the blast in their homes.

Ellsworth Air Force base is home to two squadrons of B-1 Lancer bombers.

The accident is the second high-profile training exercise crash by the Air Force in less than three months. In late November, an Air Force CV-22 Osprey crashed off the coast of Japan, killing the crew on board.

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