Uncommon drag chute deployment caught on digital camera over Fort Price.
A photographer within the Fort Price space captured a uncommon and strange incident on Dec. 11, 2025, involving a B-52H Stratofortress bomber from Barksdale Air Power Base, Louisiana. The plane, serial 60-011, flying with the callsign LOBO 49, skilled an sudden drag chute deployment whereas nonetheless airborne, an occasion seldom seen and much more hardly ever documented on digital camera.
In keeping with photographer Eric Kilpatrick, who shared the video and two nonetheless pictures with The Aviationist, the BUFF (Huge Ugly Fats Fellow – because the B-52 is nicknamed throughout the fighter pilot group) handed instantly over NAS Fort Price JRB Carswell, Texas, with the drag chute streaming behind the tail. Moments later, the crew jettisoned the chute earlier than persevering with again to Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, the place the bomber landed with out additional incident.
A B-52H from Barksdale AFB (60-0011) skilled a drag-chute malfunction earlier right this moment, with the chute unexpectedly deploying mid-flight. Captured right here within the video and two pictures, the BUFF handed instantly over NAS JRB Fort Price earlier than jettisoning the chute and continuing again… pic.twitter.com/m4mBvd6d59
— Eric Kilpatrick (@KpAviationPhoto) December 11, 2025
“It occurred at round 13.06 with them formally dropping the chute round 13.09. It was runway 18 they ended up simply flying low over the runway asking tower if it was nonetheless connected after which when it was confirmed they requested to drop it and to have the ability to head again to Barksdale AFB. He didn’t declare an emergency,” Kilpatrick advised us, recounting the incident he witnessed.
The photographs present the B-52 with the chute trailing behind the empennage. This can be a extremely uncommon sight for an plane in flight and one which even seasoned observers hardly ever get the possibility to witness, not to mention seize with this degree of readability.
Unintentional mid air chute deployments on the B-52 fleet are extraordinarily unusual. The drag chute is often used solely after touchdown to shorten the rollout distance, notably on moist or icy runways. When it deploys unexpectedly in flight, the extra drag can have an effect on dealing with, airspeed and gas consumption. Crews prepare for such abnormalities and observe established procedures to make sure secure restoration.
Curiously, there are some a lot lighter tactical jets that may deploy the drag chute shortly earlier than contact down, one of many strategies used to land on a broken runway generally displayed by Soviet sorts throughout airshows: as an example, the Su-22 Fitter deployed the chute about 7 ft above the runway shortening the touchdown roll to solely 350 meters. Evidently, the one of many B-52 was clearly an unintentional deployment.
Witnesses within the Fort Price space reported no indicators of misery because the plane crossed the sphere. LOBO 49 appeared absolutely beneath management because the crew navigated away from the realm and ready for the return leg. Each the unit and the aircrew dealt with the scenario professionally, as anticipated from bomber crews with in depth expertise managing irregular situations.
DOH! pic.twitter.com/oqDD3JxyCU
— Dan McClinton (@DanMcClinton1) December 12, 2025
The occasion occurred whereas the B-52 fleet is present process one of the vital complete modernization efforts in its historical past. As we reported yesterday, a B-52H outfitted with the brand new AESA (lively electronically scanned array) radar lately arrived at Edwards Air Power Base, California, the place it would start a sequence of floor and flight assessments in 2026. The radar improve replaces the legacy mechanically scanned system with a contemporary AESA sensor that gives higher vary, decision and resistance to countermeasures. The radar program is a part of a broader modernization effort that features new engines, up to date avionics and improved communications techniques. These upgrades are supposed to maintain the Stratofortress operational by way of the 2050s and make sure that the platform stays related in future contested environments.
H/T to Eric Kilpatrick for permitting us to share his video and pictures. Ensure that to take a look at his Instagram account at @kpaviationphotography or his X account right here for extra aviation content material.
