An unpleasant incident occurred at the Royal Air Force Fairford base with the participation of an American nuclear bomber B-52H Stratofortress.
The strategic aircraft was moving almost sideways on the runway. This attracted the attention of many users who watched the video on social media. But as the wing landing gear was moving, it knocked out the landing boundary lights installed along the runway.
The sideways movement of the bomber is called “crabbing” or “crabwalk”. This maneuver allows pilots of large aircraft, such as the B-52H, to navigate narrow paths.
The US Air Force did not comment on the incident. The public affairs office of the 307th Bomb Wing, which owns the Stratofortress, said it had launched an investigation and refused to provide further details.
The landing boundary lights at Fairford base were damaged by the wing landing gear. Unlike many other aircraft, the B-52H is equipped with additional landing gear at the end of each wing. They are necessary to support the wings, which can bend several meters depending on the level of fuel tanks.
This solution helps with taxiing and takeoff, but it can cause additional problems when using a very narrow runway. The incident at the Royal Air Force base in the UK was a perfect example of this.
