University Daily Kansan, August 30, 1984
CAMPUS AND AREA
Page 11
B-1 bomber on test flight crashes, killing pilot
19 By United Press International
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE
Calif., An Air Force B-1 jet
bomber, one of four ever built,
crashed yesterday in the Mojave
Desert, killing the pilot and injuring
two crew members, officials said.
The Air Force said the unarmed intercontinental jet was on a low-altitude, low-speed test flight when it crashed at 10:30 a.m. about 10 miles northeast of the Southern California
base.
Killed was Tommie Douglas Ben-
efield, 55, a test pilot for Rockweil International, the manufacturer of the bomber.
MASTER SGT. WALLY ROSS said all three crew members were in the "ejection capsule," which "successfully ejected" from the craft before the crash. He said it was not vet known how Benefield was killed.
A new prototype of the plane scheduled to be introduced next week, the B-1B, will have individual ejection seats instead of the cannon.
sees team Tom Bernas said there were no weapons aboard the jet.
15 The injured airmen were flown to the hospital at Edwards Air Force Base. Their conditions were not immediately available and their names were not released pending notification of relatives.
NORTON AIRCRAFT
LT. COL. ALAN SABSEVITZ said
it was the first crash of a B-1
bomber.
"If there were any bombs on it, they were inert." Bernas said. "We don't do that sort of thing here. This is a test flight facility."
"The capsule with three crew members ejected upward and parachuted to earth," he said. "A
qualified board of officers will be appointed to investigate. Until then, it (the cause) is pure conjecture."
In cases of prior experience, Sabswitz said the plane was being used to study handling characteristics and avionics for the new B-1B.
He said the test was scheduled to last three hours, 40 minutes, but the jet crashed a little more than an hour into the flight.
It was the 127th test flight of the B-1 series, begun in 1974. The Air Force has described the development of the planes, at a cost of up to $40 million apiece, "as the most successful bomber test program in
THE CRASH OCCURRED in a desolate area near the Kern-San Bernardino county line, approximately 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles. The explosion sparked several small brush fires.
history."
several shambles of Kern County Fire Capt. David Goodell, who arrived on the scene about 45 minutes after the crash, said "wreckage was strewn all over the place."
place.
"The plane looked as though it was destroyed," he said.
THE PLANE WAS A B-1A version of the bomber that was produced
during the Carter administration. It was one of only four built before President Carter scrubbed the program in 1977 because it was too expensive.
expensive. President Reagan resurrected the controversial program on Oct. 2, 1981, and ordered production of 100 more jets. Funding for the program still awaits congressional approval.
The B.1, with a 136-foot wing span and a maximum speed of 1,451 mph, was designed to replace the larger B-52, backbone of the Air Force's strategic bomber fleet since the 1950s.
Nuclear reactor deal canceled
By United Press International
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Valley Authority cancelled four unfinished nuclear reactors yesterday and accepted a $2.7 billion loss because of projected cost overruns of nearly $14 billion.
"You don't eat that kind of money gracefully but we are trying to minimize the impact," said TVA Chairman Charles "Chiile" Dean.
The three-member board for the nation's largest electric utility voted unanimously to cancel two reactors at the Hartville Nuclear Plant near Nashville, Tenn., and two reactors at the yellow Creek facility near Miss.
THE BOARD ALSO TO use to
a $150 million budget surplus to wipe
out all but a 4 percent increase in
electric rates starting Oct. 1. The
typical bill will cost a consumer's
bill will bill up 19 cents.
from $48.77 to $47.06.
17A stopped construction on the reactors two years ago with work less than half-finished after a $2.7 billion investment. The agency has spent over a year since maintaining the plants in case work was resumed.
would mount combined cost overruns of $13.8 billion if construction was finished — more than TVA has spent building its entire power system.
TVA Director Richard Freeman said the seven-state federal utility — once the nuclear industry's best customer — would likely build a coal plant if new power capacity is needed for the rest of this century.
THE COST OF FINISHING these plants is no longer competitive with coal-fired plants. We should cancel now and cut our losses," Freeman said.
Consumer groups praised the TVA Board for canceling the reactors but ridiculed the agency for ever starting Yellow Creek and Hartville, once envisioned as the world's largest atomic plants.
as resisted. A staff report said the reactors
The $2.7 billion already invested in the reactors will be written off over the next 11 years, accounting for 2 to 4 per cent of electric rates for the agency's nearly three million consumers, officials said.
Nationally, eight reactors have been abandoned this year with TVA's cancellations, and 51 reactors have been scraped since 1974 — the year before the Arab oil embargo lowered electricity demand.
For the best selection of
Hallmark Cards & Gifts
shop at
Southwest Plaza 23rd & Iowa
8412160
ARBUTHNOT'S
Hours
M-F 10:8 Sat 10:5
INTERESTED PRE-MED STUDENTS
Representatives from the University of Kansas School of Medicine will be coming to K.U. to visit with students on an individual basis on the following dates:
Friday, September 7th Friday, September 14th Friday, September 28th Friday, October 5th
Appointments, which are for 20 minutes, are to be made through the Pre-Med Secretary. 106C Strong, during office hours posted.
You could win a 1985 Renault or trips via American Airlines and American Express, all of which are available at your nearest showroom or write Find O P O | 4048 Chicago II 60654
SHOWROOM ADDRESSES
Register to win in our
SHOWROOM ADDED
OVERLAND PARK
91st and Metcalf
(Across from Loehman's Plaza)
Phone (913) 383-1800
SERVICE MERCHANDISE Catalog Showrooms
SHOWROOM HOUR
*indicates manufacturer's paid directly to the consumer by the manufacturer
Monday through Saturday 10 A.M. to 9 P.M.
Sunday 12 A.M. to 5 P.M.
Sale price in effect 7 days.
For the location of the showroom nearest you:
1 BOWLING STREET
800 SMC UNIFO
Serving America with showrooms in 31 states.