US B-1 Bomber Catches Fire in Qatar

Source: Alalam TV, 04-04-2008
DUBAI--A B-1 bomber belonging to the US Air Force has caught fire at the Al Udeid Air Base, 35km south of Doha, a defense official has said.
A spokesperson for the US Air Force Central Public Affairs Office, South West Asia, said the bomber caught fire Friday while taxiing after landing at the base.
"The crew evacuated the aircraft and is safe. The fire was contained. A board of inquiry has been appointed and will investigate the incident."
The US official traveling with Defense Secretary Robert Gates in Oman said there was "an explosion aboard a B-1 bomber on the ground" following an earlier television report that the plane had crashed.
Witnesses said they heard loud explosions following which the roads leading to the air base were closed to traffic.
"I heard repeated loud explosions and the ground beneath my feet was shaking. When I ran out of my accommodation to see what was going on, I could see smoke billowing into the sky," one source told Gulf Times.
Ambulances and police vehicles were also seen racing through Doha in the direction of the base.
The B-1 is a long range bomber capable of flying intercontinental missions without refueling and is able to penetrate sophisticated defensive networks.
The B-1, which was estimated to cost $283.1mn in 1998, was conceived as part of the Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft (AMSA) program around 1965.
Last month, a B-1 bomber slid off the runway at Anderson Air Force Base on Guam, crashing into a group of emergency vehicles.