Part of a B-52 bomber fell off during a training exercise in Britain and landed in a woman's front garden

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Part of a B-52 bomber fell off during a training exercise in Britain and landed in a woman's front garden

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B-52
  • A wing-tip gear door from a US Air Force B-52 bomber fell into a British woman's front garden on October 23.
  • The bomber is deployed to Royal Air Force base Fairford as part of the US's Air Force's Bomber Task Force and will train with allies and partners in the region.
  • There were no injuries, and the Air Force has said there is an investigation into the incident.
  • Visit Business Insider's home page for more stories.

A part from a US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber fell off and landed in a British woman's front garden during a training exercise last week, the BBC reports.

The B-52 bomber is part of the 2nd Bomb Wing from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, which is deployed to Royal Air Force Fairford in Gloucestershire.

The aircraft was participating in a training exercise when its wing-tip gear door fell into the yard of a Warwichkshire woman, according to the BBC.

"Yesterday around 5:30 PM in Brailes a resident reported hearing a thud in her front garden," the nearby Shipston on Stour police department said on its Facebook page on October 24. "Thankfully no harm to persons/animals/property."

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The woman, who requested anonymity, told local media outlet Gloucestershire Live that it was a "miracle" no one was hurt.

"You won't find any evidence in the front garden where it landed, we managed to get it back to normal pretty quickly," the woman said. "I've been contacted by the police and even the MOD [Ministry of Defense]. We are on a flight path here but you never expect something like this to happen."

"The part landed in a local national's garden and was retrieved by 2nd Bomb Wing personnel, in partnership with the UK Ministry of Defence Police," the US Air Force told the BBC. "A safety investigation is being conducted, as is the standard with these types of events."

Insider reached out to the US Air Force and the 2nd Bomb Wing for more information about the aircraft's status, as well as what led to the incident, but did not receive a response by press time.

Four B-52s and about 350 airmen deployed to the UK earlier in October to train with the RAF and other NATO partners as part of US Air Force's Bomber Task Force. The B-52 has been in service since 1955 and can carry both nuclear and conventional weapons.

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