Engine drops from B-52 bomber over North Dakota

MINOT, N.D. (AP) — 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 suffered 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 the base near Minot, about 110 miles north of Bismarck. James tells the Minot Daily News the engine wreckage is believed to be at the bottom of a river.

Maj. Jamie Humphries tells radio station KFGO-AM the plane wasn't carrying any weapons.

The investigation is expected to take months.