A B-52 Stratofortress landed safely on Wednesday after an engine “dropped out” over an unpopulated area of North Dakota, Defense News reports, holy shit.
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According to Air Force officials, none of the five personnel aboard the aircraft were injured. As each B-52 is powered by eight turbojets paired in four pods, the bomber still carried seven engines at the time, but, like, still.
Last manufactured in the 1960s, America’s B-52s have received periodic upgrades over the years, but no bomber has emerged as a serious replacement for the 76 Stratofortresses currently in service. In 2014, the Air Force began reviewing possible re-engining schemes for the B-52, which is expected to serve into the 2040s.
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Military officials have opened an safety investigation into the cause of the incident, but say the bomber carried no weapons during the training mission. A helicopter was later dispatched to the scene to recover debris from the engine, which, again, fell off the goddamn plane in the middle of a goddamn flight.
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