B-52H Bomber Engine Emits Sparks in Remarkable Photo with Miraculous Timing

Tom Demerly
1 Min Read
Zdenek Cerny captured this remarkable photo of a B-52 engine emitting sparks and smoke. (Photo: courtesy of Zdenek Cerny)

Photographer Zdenek Cerny Captured Rare Incident With B-52 Engine Anomaly.

Prolific aviation photographer Zdenek Cerny captured a remarkable image of sparks and smoke emitting from the engine of a B-52.

The photo, which has been shared in groups on Facebook and in aviation photography forums, shows a shower of sparks emitting from the inboard engine nacelle closest to the fuselage.

The remarkable photo was taken as the B-52H Stratofortress bomber 61-0029 belonging to the 2nd Bomb Wing from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, departed from Ostrava after attending the NATO Days 2017, on Sept. 18, 2017.

It’s possible the engine may be experiencing a malfunction on its own, or that it ingested a foreign object, such as a bird, during what appears to be a low demonstration pass. “FOD” or Foreign Object Damage is a constant threat to low flying aircraft.

Whatever the reason thaat caused the engine to emit sparks, the timing of this photo is truly miraculous, something that is seen only once in a few years.



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Tom Demerly is a feature writer, journalist, photographer and editorialist who has written articles that are published around the world on TheAviationist.com, TACAIRNET.com, Outside magazine, Business Insider, We Are The Mighty, The Dearborn Press & Guide, National Interest, Russia’s government media outlet Sputnik, and many other publications. Demerly studied journalism at Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Michigan. Tom Demerly served in an intelligence gathering unit as a member of the U.S. Army and Michigan National Guard. His military experience includes being Honor Graduate from the U.S. Army Infantry School at Ft. Benning, Georgia (Cycle C-6-1) and as a Scout Observer in a reconnaissance unit, Company “F”, 425th INF (RANGER/AIRBORNE), Long Range Surveillance Unit (LRSU). Demerly is an experienced parachutist, holds advanced SCUBA certifications, has climbed the highest mountains on three continents and visited all seven continents and has flown several types of light aircraft.
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