Washington, May 19 (RHC)-- A U.S. B-52 strategic military plane has been destroyed after crashing at the U.S. airbase in the Western Pacific island of Guam.  U.S. military officials said Thursday that the B-52H Stratofortress bomber went down in a fiery crash on Wednesday shortly after takeoff.  All seven crew members survived the crash.

The plane went down "on the flight line" at the Andersen Air Force Base in the U.S. occupied- territory.  In a statement, the U.S. military said it is investigating the cause of the crash.  The strategic bomber was reportedly on a routine training mission when the accident happened.

The B-52 is a long-range heavy bomber that has been "the backbone of the manned strategic bomber force in the United States" for more than 40 years.  The U.S. Air Force has alternatively deployed B-1, B-2 and B-52 bombers to Guam since 2004 to boost America's military presence in the Asia-Pacific region.

The U.S. territory of Guam is located some 3,700 miles southwest of Hawaii.