MINOT, N.D. - Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James says the military believes an engine that dropped from a B-52 bomber during a training mission over North Dakota experienced a "catastrophic failure" and disintegrated.
Officials at Minot Air Force Base say an in-flight emergency was declared Wednesday and the crew landed the plane safely. No injuries were reported on the ground or among the plane's five crew members.
The Air Force says the engine fell in a remote area about 25 miles northeast of Minot Air Force Base. ''The engine wreckage is believed to be at the bottom of a river.
Maj. Jamie Humphries says the plane wasn't carrying any weapons.
The investigation is expected to take months.