A B-52 Loses One Of Its 8 Engines During Training Mission

April 9, 2016: A pair of U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bombers from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, taxi after landing at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. (Reuters/Air Force)

Defense News: Air Force Secretary: Catastrophic Engine Failure Likely to Blame for Minot B-52 Mishap

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. — A catastrophic engine failure is the likely cause of a Jan. 4 incident in which a B-52 lost one of its eight engines, top Air Force leaders confirmed to Defense News on Thursday.

A Boeing B-52 Stratofortress assigned to Minot Air Force Base’s 5th Bomb Wing was conducting a training mission over North Dakota when one of its Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-3/103 turbofan engines fell from the plane, the service confirmed late Wednesday. The pilots were able to land the plane safely, with no injury to the five-person crew.

The Air Force continues to investigate the root cause of the mishap, but it appears that the engine began breaking down from the inside, eventually cracking the protective casing around it and detaching from the plane, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said in an exclusive interview.

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WNU Editor: It may be dropping its engines, but the Air Force wants the B-52 to continue flying until 2014 .... America's B-52 Stratofortress (Developed in the 1950s): Dropping Bombs Until 2040? (Kris Osborn, National Interest).

More News On A B-52 Losing One Of Its 8 Engines During A Training Mission

B-52 Loses Engine While Flying Over North Dakota -- Military.com
Engine drops from B-52 bomber in rural North Dakota -- AP
Engine plummets from B-52 during training flight -- FOX News
Engine Drops From B-52 Over Wildlife Refuge -- MYNDNOW
Pentagon to Probe B-52 Bomber's Loss of Engine While in Flight -- Sputnik
B-52 Lands Fine After Engine Falls Off in the Middle of a Goddamn Flight -- Gizmodo
An Entire Engine Fell Off a B-52 Bomber While In Flight -- Popular Mechanics