A nuclear-capable B-52 bomber flying over Gloucestershire in southwest England emitted an emergency “squawk,” a code thought to signal that one of its engines had failed.
The US Air Force bomber SPICY22 took off from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on Tuesday but soon began to circle in a loop issuing the emergency squawk 770 code, which is said to be the emergency signal for engine failure, the Daily Mail reported.
It circled repeatedly to burn off enough fuel to make an emergency landing at Fairford. The jet then landed at the airfield without incident.
Multiple B-52 bombers were sent to Fairford in August in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The bombers are regular participants in NATO training and reconnaissance missions across Europe.
The plane had been following a flight path through northern Gloucester, Churchdown, Bishop’s Cleeve, Newent, Tewkesbury and Cheltenham when it began emitting the emergency siren.