Don't ever call a DSO or OSO, "non-flying" personnel. I worked hard for that
rating. They are "rated wings" as opposed to "non rated aircrew".

And it is obvious that the OSO/DSO knew what was happening when the "flying
crew members" did not. It's not the first time the "Nav" saved a crew, and
all the way across the pond, the Nav is the only guy that really knows where
you are.

The aircraft was built with 3 generators, and room for a fourth that was not
installed to save production $$$. It was determined that it was not "needed"
when the electrically heated engine intake anti-ice system would not be
installed.

Also, the APUs cannot be run in-flight, there is a drive shaft from each APU
(there are two) to a Generator that could have brought a generator back
online. APU power on the ground brings 2 generators online.

Funny that the humanoid stick shakers up front could not fly partial panel
with a whiskey compass and air driven attitude indicator and an altimeter
that is not tied to the Air Data Computers.

BT
(20yrs AF Nav, 15 yrs B-1 IOSO) Retired

"EDR" wrote in message
...
I enjoy going to the US military safety websites and reading the annual
mishap report review.
They describe the different classes of mishap (severity) and list the
associated costs of each mishap (your tax dollars at work!).
Remember the B-1B that went down off Diego Garcia?
It resulted from an engine shutdown after takeoff; which lead to the
loss of the first generator; followed by the loss of the second
generator; followed by the loss of the backup system.
Get this... the DSO and OSO (guys in back), based on the instruments at
their stations, told the pilots the aircraft was out of control and
punched out. Shortly thereafter, the pilot concluded that the aircraft
was indeed out of control and followed the non-flying personal out of
the aircraft.
The accident board listed, among the reasons for the loss of the
aircraft, "contributing design deficiencies".
BTW, the cost of the loss... $298,000,000.