KFYR : Minot Commander Relieved of Duty For B-52 Mistake

Minot Commander Relieved of Duty For B-52 Mistake

Kristin Bien | KFYR | October 19, 200

The commander of Minot Air Force Base has been relieved of command and has been reassigned.

The Air Force has confirmed at a Pentagon news conference that nuclear missiles were mistakenly flown on a B-52 bomber from the Minot Air Force base to a base in Louisiana in late August.

A six-week Air Force investigation found fault with several officers, who have been relieved of duty.

The Pentagon says the mistake is due to a failure to follow procedures and an erosion in weapons handling procedures.

Its being called an unacceptable mistake. Today Air Force officials confirmed it was a failure to follow set procedures that led six nuclear missiles to be flown from Minot Air Force Base to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.

A six week investigation found the fault occurred through a series of five procedural errors. First, as the missiles were sitting in the weapons storage area, officers did not perform the required inspections. Second, the trailer which moves weapons onto the aircraft arrived early.

Third, the crew failed to verify the payload before hooking it up to transport. Fourth, the Minot Munitions control center failed to access a database that would have alerted them to the status of the missiles. And finally, the Barksdale officers did not check all the missiles loaded for transport.

Air Force officials say changes are being made to ensure there is no chance of this ever happening again.

The investigation found fault with several officers who have been released of duty.

A Minot Air Force Base spokeswoman says Colonel Bruce Emig is among them. He was the commander of the 5th Bomb Wing, and also the base commander.

The Minot Maintenance Group Commander has also been relieved of duty, as well as the Barksdale operations group commander. Other actions have been taken at group and squadron levels. The 5th Bomb wing has been decertified from its wartime missions.

Air Force commanders have not said whether any courts-martial will take place.

Another review will look into the policies and procedures. The Blue Ribbon Review will take a broader look at the entire Air Force.