All seven aircrew members escaped without injuries Thursday morning after a B-52H Stratofortress was involved in a “mishap” on the flightline at Andersen AFB, Guam, according to a press release. A base spokesman told Air Force Magazine the incident was not a crash, but did not offer more details. Emergency responders rushed to the scene after the incident during a routine training mission around 8:30 a.m. local time. The B-52 is deployed to Guam from Minot AFB, N.D., as part of the continuous bomber presence in the Pacific; the airmen aboard were from the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron. Officials are investigating the incident and working to mitigate any environmental impacts. It is not clear if the bomber was carrying any weapons at the time.
U.S. Air Force F-35s and F-22s regularly deploy deep into the Pacific region from Alaska, Utah, and Hawaii. In the future, though, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command would like to see the Air Force permanently station fifth-generation aircraft west of the international date line—closer to China.