Photos: US Air Force Confirms B-52H Sustained 'Significant' Damage After Colliding With Fence
04:02 GMT 13.11.2021 (Updated: 04:14 GMT 13.11.2021)
© USAF/Airman 1st Class Heather LeyA B-52H Stratofortress sits on the flight line at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, Jan. 10, 2019. The B-52’s wingspan stretches 185 feet and weighs approximately 185,000 pounds empty with maximum takeoff weight of 488,000 pounds.
Subscribe
Earlier on Friday, photos emerged on social media showing the aftermath of an incident that damaged the right wing of a US Air Force B-52H bomber. The $84 million aircraft in question is one of 76 of the mid-20th-century strategic bombers still in operation.
Barksdale Air Force Base's public affairs office confirmed to The War Zone on Friday that an accident occurred at the northwest Louisiana base, home to the 2nd Bomb Wing and the Air Force Reserve's 343rd Bomb Wing.
Images of the incident were first uploaded to Facebook by "Air Force amn/nco/snco".
"While positioning the aircraft for static display on the site, the aircraft collided with the fence directly in front of the [maintenance group] building", read the redacted Maintenance Operations Centre (MOC) Notification Worksheet.
© Facebook/Air Force amn/nco/snco"Barksdale B-52 AC 0059 accident."
"Barksdale B-52 AC 0059 accident."
"All pieces were recovered from the fence and the aircraft and there is significant damage to the right wing tip and the leading edge wing outboard of the right external tank", the memo detailed.
© Facebook/Air Force amn/nco/snco"Barksdale B-52 AC 0059 accident."
"Barksdale B-52 AC 0059 accident."
No injuries were reported, and no further details on the extent of the damage were provided.