Originally Posted by
Castle Bravo
While it may seem odd that they elected to eject, only to then make the full stop safely, their decision likely was informed by a B-1 loss about 4 years ago out of Ellsworth, also climbing out of low level and also with an Over Wing Fairing fire with subsequent motor fire. That crew tried to put the fire out with no luck, and then ejected (all safely). The B-1 blew up and literally broke in half while they were hanging in their chutes.
With that mishap in this crew's minds, the decision to eject is easily defensible. The follow on "let's stay with the jet" decision is ballsy, and the crew should be nominated the the McKay trophy.
There is no manual bailout option in the Bone, unlike the Buff. That's why the Buff can still carry 10 crewdogs on any flight, while the Bone can not carry more than 4.
I would bail out or eject from any aircraft if it was on fire and couldn't be extinguished. Easy call. If that's not an option, then land asap.
What these guys did was certainly ballsy, although three of them would have still had a shot at ejecting if the aircraft had departed controlled flight.