Air Force safety experts were seeking answers Friday on why a U.S. fighter plane released a dummy bomb Wednesday that caused no injuries but ripped a jagged path through a South Korean wire factory.

The nonexplosive training bomb sent startled workers scurrying at the two-story 3A Company Ltd. factory after it crashed through the roof and burrowed its way into a ground-floor office. The mishap occurred around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday in Eumseong, northern Chungcheong province.

The bomb dropped from an A-10 attack plane assigned to the 25th Fighter Squadron, part of the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base.

The plane was returning from a training mission at Pilsung Range, Air Force Maj. Michael Shavers, the wing’s chief spokesman, said Friday. The range is 90 miles east of Osan and about 60 miles from the factory.

The 24-pound BDU-33 training bomb is of a type used to mark ground targets during bomb-run training, the wing said. A pilot aims the bomb at the target area and, on impact, it emits a puff of whitish smoke that helps other pilots see where to aim their bombs.

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