B-1 catches fire in 2nd U.S. air accident in Qatar
A U.S. Air Force B-1 bomber burst into flames at Qatar's Al Udeid air
base on late April 4. The air force said the B-1 caught fire after it landed
at the Qatari air base.
This was the second U.S. military accident in Qatar in about six months.
In October 2007, a U.S. PAC-3 missile interceptor was fired from an army
base in Qatar. Nobody was injured in what the United States deemed an
accident.
"A U.S. Air Force B-1, while taxiing after landing at Al Udeid Air Base,
Qatar, was involved in a ground incident and caught fire at 2110 local, on
April 4," the air force said in a statement. "The crew evacuated the
aircraft and is safe. The fire was contained."
Witnesses reported an explosion at Al Udeid, which contains the U.S. Air
Force operations center for Central Command. An air force officer said an
explosion took place when the B-1 hit the ground. The air force said nobody
was killed.
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"A board of inquiry has been appointed and will investigate the
incident," the air force said.
Al Udeid is one of two bases in Qatar provided to the U.S. military.
Central Command has been expanding Al Udeid, said to contain more than 3,000
U.S. troops and scores of aircraft, including at least six B-1 bombers. The
bomber has been plagued by accidents over the last few years.
Under the expansion project, Al Udeid would accommodate 14,000 troops
and more than 150 combat aircraft. The project was expected to be completed
around 2010.
