was when the plane first entered service in the mid 1980s. The plane has an operational crew of 4 (Pilot, Copilot, Offensive Weapons Systems Operator, Defensive Weapons Systems Operater), each on his own ejection seat. During the early days, they sometimes carried one or two additional instructors for the OWSO and DWSO positions.

One day in 1987, a B-1B was flying low and fast near La Junta, Colorado when they had a massive bird strike. It was a big bird (they think a pelican) and it penetrated the wing leading edge, damaging the hydraulics. The pilot put the plane into a zoom climb to gain altitude to give more time for ejection. He, the OWSO, and DWSO punched out. The copilot stayed with the plane - either to give the instructors a better chance of getting out or because his seat malfunctioned. They all died in the crash. After that, they never allowed people on the plane unless they were sitting in an ejection seat.