Being 30+ year in service it is rather strange that this issue surfaces now.
It's not a new problem, just one that hasn't surfaced recently.
The B-1 airframe
experienced multiple ejection seat issues early in its service life. During the B-1’s development in 1984, the prototype suffered a crash which resulted in the death of the test pilot, Doug Benefield, and serious injuries to two other crew members after the ejection capsule failed; another ejection failure caused the death of a crewmember in September 1987. B-1B’s ejection system has performed without major issue in the 30 years since until this incident.
My nephew was based at Dyess not that long ago and was part of the teams that keep these things in the air. I'll ask him his views on this next time we get together.
OT, many years ago I was at KAMA (Amarillo) when a B-1 did a touch and go. Fascinating sight, incredible sound!
