This day in US nuclear accidents
- Thread starter mhansen2
- Start date
mhansen2
Gold Member
- Thread starter
- #42
28 February
1958
B-47 / Greenham Common airbase, England
At approximately 4:25 PM, a B-47 experienced engine trouble on takeoff and jettisoned two full 1,700 gallon wingtip fuel tanks from an altitude of 8,000 feet. One or both of the falling tanks missed a designated safe impact area and exploded 65 feet behind a parked B-47 loaded with nuclear weapons. The resulting fire burned for 16 hours, exploding the HE in at least one weapon, destroying the parked bomber, killing two people and injuring eight, and caused the release of radioactive material, including finely powdered uranium and plutonium oxides, at least 10 to 20 grams of which were found off-base. An adjacent hangar was also severely damaged, and other planes nearby had to be hosed down to prevent their ignition by the intense heat, approximately of the fire, fueled by jet propellant and magnesium in the B-47. The fire was allowed to burn itself out and was still smoldering several days later.
At least one airman near the parked B-47 died, and a number of other service personnel were killed and injured. The population of the town of Newbury, the closest downwind village, later suffered a cluster of leukemia cases.
The Air Force has never officially admitted that nuclear weapons were involved in this accident. The USAF and the British Ministry of Defense had agreed in 1956 to deny that nuclear weapons were involved in any accident with an American nuclear bomber stationed in England. In 1985, the British government stated that the accident merely involved a parked B-47 that was struck by a taxiing B-47 on a training exercise, and omitted any mention of an ensuing fire.
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, p.247.
(Precise date provided by World Information Service on Energy, WISE)
1958 accident at Greenham Common covered up | Wise International
1958
B-47 / Greenham Common airbase, England
At approximately 4:25 PM, a B-47 experienced engine trouble on takeoff and jettisoned two full 1,700 gallon wingtip fuel tanks from an altitude of 8,000 feet. One or both of the falling tanks missed a designated safe impact area and exploded 65 feet behind a parked B-47 loaded with nuclear weapons. The resulting fire burned for 16 hours, exploding the HE in at least one weapon, destroying the parked bomber, killing two people and injuring eight, and caused the release of radioactive material, including finely powdered uranium and plutonium oxides, at least 10 to 20 grams of which were found off-base. An adjacent hangar was also severely damaged, and other planes nearby had to be hosed down to prevent their ignition by the intense heat, approximately of the fire, fueled by jet propellant and magnesium in the B-47. The fire was allowed to burn itself out and was still smoldering several days later.
At least one airman near the parked B-47 died, and a number of other service personnel were killed and injured. The population of the town of Newbury, the closest downwind village, later suffered a cluster of leukemia cases.
The Air Force has never officially admitted that nuclear weapons were involved in this accident. The USAF and the British Ministry of Defense had agreed in 1956 to deny that nuclear weapons were involved in any accident with an American nuclear bomber stationed in England. In 1985, the British government stated that the accident merely involved a parked B-47 that was struck by a taxiing B-47 on a training exercise, and omitted any mention of an ensuing fire.
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, p.247.
(Precise date provided by World Information Service on Energy, WISE)
1958 accident at Greenham Common covered up | Wise International
Last edited:
mhansen2
Gold Member
- Thread starter
- #43
1 March
1954
Technically not an accident, just a major miscalculation
Shot Bravo, Operation Castle
Bikini Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands (then Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands) Some might claim this was not a true accident, but during the Castle Bravo test of the first deployable hydrogen bomb, a miscalculation resulted in the explosion being over twice as large as predicted, with a total explosive force of 15 megatons of TNT (63 PJ). Of the total yield, 10 Mt (42 PJ) were from fission of the natural uranium tamper, but those fission reactions were quite dirty, producing a large amount of fallout. Combined with the much larger than expected yield and an unanticipated wind shift, radioactive fallout spread into unexpected areas. A Japanese fishing boat, the Daigo Fukuryu Maru/Lucky Dragon, came into contact with the fallout, which caused many of the crew to become ill, with one fatality. The fallout spread eastward onto the inhabited Rongelapand Rongerik Atolls. These islands were not evacuated before the explosion due to the financial cost involved, but many of the Marshall Islands natives have since suffered from radiation burns and radioactive dusting and also similar fates as the Japanese fishermen and have received little, if any, compensation from the federal government. The test resulted in an international uproar and reignited Japanese concerns about radiation, especially with regard to the possible contamination of fish. Personal accounts of the Rongelap people can be seen in the documentary Children of Armageddon.
List of military nuclear accidents - Wikipedia
Operation Castle
Operation Castle - Wikipedia
Castle Bravo - Wikipedia
1954
Technically not an accident, just a major miscalculation
Shot Bravo, Operation Castle
Bikini Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands (then Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands) Some might claim this was not a true accident, but during the Castle Bravo test of the first deployable hydrogen bomb, a miscalculation resulted in the explosion being over twice as large as predicted, with a total explosive force of 15 megatons of TNT (63 PJ). Of the total yield, 10 Mt (42 PJ) were from fission of the natural uranium tamper, but those fission reactions were quite dirty, producing a large amount of fallout. Combined with the much larger than expected yield and an unanticipated wind shift, radioactive fallout spread into unexpected areas. A Japanese fishing boat, the Daigo Fukuryu Maru/Lucky Dragon, came into contact with the fallout, which caused many of the crew to become ill, with one fatality. The fallout spread eastward onto the inhabited Rongelapand Rongerik Atolls. These islands were not evacuated before the explosion due to the financial cost involved, but many of the Marshall Islands natives have since suffered from radiation burns and radioactive dusting and also similar fates as the Japanese fishermen and have received little, if any, compensation from the federal government. The test resulted in an international uproar and reignited Japanese concerns about radiation, especially with regard to the possible contamination of fish. Personal accounts of the Rongelap people can be seen in the documentary Children of Armageddon.
List of military nuclear accidents - Wikipedia
Operation Castle
Operation Castle - Wikipedia
Castle Bravo - Wikipedia
mhansen2
Gold Member
- Thread starter
- #45
9 March
1964 - ATLAS F / Walker AFB, New Mexico
An ATLAS F ICBM exploded in its silo during a maintenance exercise. It was the third explosion of an ATLAS F at the base within the past year and the second within a month (the latest previous explosion was on February 13, 1964). The missile exploded at a height of about three feet above the base of silo as it was being raised out of the silo. The ATLAS was fueled and liquid oxygen was being pumped into it when a fire broke out in the silo, touching off the blast. No one was injured by the explosion.
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, pp.274-275.
1964 - ATLAS F / Walker AFB, New Mexico
An ATLAS F ICBM exploded in its silo during a maintenance exercise. It was the third explosion of an ATLAS F at the base within the past year and the second within a month (the latest previous explosion was on February 13, 1964). The missile exploded at a height of about three feet above the base of silo as it was being raised out of the silo. The ATLAS was fueled and liquid oxygen was being pumped into it when a fire broke out in the silo, touching off the blast. No one was injured by the explosion.
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, pp.274-275.
mhansen2
Gold Member
- Thread starter
- #46
10 March
1956 – B-47E / French Morocco
The aircraft was one of a flight of four scheduled for non-stop deployment from MacDill AFB near Tampa, Florida to an overseas air base (Ben Guerir AFB in French Morocco); the flight was expected to last 10 to 12 hours. The takeoff from MacDill and first mid-air refueling near Lajes, Brazil were normal. The second refueling point was over the Mediterranean Sea. In preparation for refueling, the flight penetrated solid cloud formation to descend to the refueling level of 14,000 feet; visibility was poor.
The B-47, with no weapons but with two type 210DE nuclear capsules in carrying cases aboard, never made contact with its tanker. The last radio message received from the bomber was a query as to the location of its tanker; the aircraft was at a position of approximately 35D 40M N, 4D 50M W, placing it over the Mediterranean Sea due west of Oran, Algeria and east of Tangier, Morocco. When it disappeared, the plane was carrying a 43,000 pound fuel load sufficient for another four and a half hours flight or a range of 2,500 miles; flying time to Ben Guerir AFB in Morocco from this location was just one hour.
At no time did the tanker assigned to the missing bomber ever make either radar or radio contact with the B-47. An extensive air, sea, and land search, conducted between March 10 and March 20, centering about 90 miles southwest of Oran, Algeria in the French Moroccan desert northwest of the Sahara Atlas Mountains, failed to locate any traces of either the missing aircraft or its crew or cargo. Bad weather in this area for two to three days after the bomber disappeared prevented an immediate aerial search.
For a while, some persons believed that the aircraft and crew might have defected and flown to the Soviet Union; however, no evidence was ever found to support this hypothesis. By mid-September 1956, DOD had concluded that the weapons were irretrievably lost and that the case was closed, and had requested the AEC to replace the lost material. In October 1956, the AEC issued two replacement capsules to the DOD.
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, p.241.
1956 – B-47E / French Morocco
The aircraft was one of a flight of four scheduled for non-stop deployment from MacDill AFB near Tampa, Florida to an overseas air base (Ben Guerir AFB in French Morocco); the flight was expected to last 10 to 12 hours. The takeoff from MacDill and first mid-air refueling near Lajes, Brazil were normal. The second refueling point was over the Mediterranean Sea. In preparation for refueling, the flight penetrated solid cloud formation to descend to the refueling level of 14,000 feet; visibility was poor.
The B-47, with no weapons but with two type 210DE nuclear capsules in carrying cases aboard, never made contact with its tanker. The last radio message received from the bomber was a query as to the location of its tanker; the aircraft was at a position of approximately 35D 40M N, 4D 50M W, placing it over the Mediterranean Sea due west of Oran, Algeria and east of Tangier, Morocco. When it disappeared, the plane was carrying a 43,000 pound fuel load sufficient for another four and a half hours flight or a range of 2,500 miles; flying time to Ben Guerir AFB in Morocco from this location was just one hour.
At no time did the tanker assigned to the missing bomber ever make either radar or radio contact with the B-47. An extensive air, sea, and land search, conducted between March 10 and March 20, centering about 90 miles southwest of Oran, Algeria in the French Moroccan desert northwest of the Sahara Atlas Mountains, failed to locate any traces of either the missing aircraft or its crew or cargo. Bad weather in this area for two to three days after the bomber disappeared prevented an immediate aerial search.
For a while, some persons believed that the aircraft and crew might have defected and flown to the Soviet Union; however, no evidence was ever found to support this hypothesis. By mid-September 1956, DOD had concluded that the weapons were irretrievably lost and that the case was closed, and had requested the AEC to replace the lost material. In October 1956, the AEC issued two replacement capsules to the DOD.
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, p.241.
mhansen2
Gold Member
- Thread starter
- #47
11 March
1958 – B-47 / Florence, South Carolina
At 3:53 PM EST, a B-47E departed Hunter AFB, Georgia, as the number three aircraft in a flight of four enroute to the United Kingdom during a SAC exercise named Snow Flurry.
After the aircraft leveled off at 15,000 feet approximately 25 minutes after takeoff, a bomb release mechanism malfunctioned and jettisoned an unarmed (MK 6?) nuclear weapon which landed in a sparsely populated area 6.5 miles east of Florence, South Carolina.
The HE in the device exploded at 4:20 PM local time on impact in a garden approximately 100 yards to the rear of house in Mars Bluff, a community ten miles east of Florence. The blast resulted in a crater 50 to 70 feet in diameter and 25 to 30 deep and caused minor injuries to members of a family in a residence about 75 yards from the impact point. Pine trees were blown down or shredded, the house was virtually destroyed, its back and roof caved in by the blast, a workshop was demolished, a garage seriously damaged, and five other nearby residences and a church were damaged slightly. Six persons were injured, including a nine-year old girl relative of a family in the house who was treated at a local hospital for shock. No one was killed. Five months later, one family was paid $54,000 for damages to their property.
The aircraft returned to Hunter AFB without further incident. Although there was a nuclear capsule aboard the B-47, there was none in the bomb, and there was only negligible radiation release. Cleanup continued for several days after the accident; only about 25 lbs. of weapon remains were recovered as a result of an intensive search out to 3,000 feet in all directions from the crater. Fragments were found in an elliptical pattern downwind from the crater. Following this incident, steps were taken to fasten weapons more securely aboard aircraft, making accidental or intentional jettison more difficult.
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, p.250.
Location on Google Earth: 34 12 3.25 N, 79 39 25.66 W
1958 Mars Bluff B-47 nuclear weapon loss incident - Wikipedia
1958 – B-47 / Florence, South Carolina
At 3:53 PM EST, a B-47E departed Hunter AFB, Georgia, as the number three aircraft in a flight of four enroute to the United Kingdom during a SAC exercise named Snow Flurry.
After the aircraft leveled off at 15,000 feet approximately 25 minutes after takeoff, a bomb release mechanism malfunctioned and jettisoned an unarmed (MK 6?) nuclear weapon which landed in a sparsely populated area 6.5 miles east of Florence, South Carolina.
The HE in the device exploded at 4:20 PM local time on impact in a garden approximately 100 yards to the rear of house in Mars Bluff, a community ten miles east of Florence. The blast resulted in a crater 50 to 70 feet in diameter and 25 to 30 deep and caused minor injuries to members of a family in a residence about 75 yards from the impact point. Pine trees were blown down or shredded, the house was virtually destroyed, its back and roof caved in by the blast, a workshop was demolished, a garage seriously damaged, and five other nearby residences and a church were damaged slightly. Six persons were injured, including a nine-year old girl relative of a family in the house who was treated at a local hospital for shock. No one was killed. Five months later, one family was paid $54,000 for damages to their property.
The aircraft returned to Hunter AFB without further incident. Although there was a nuclear capsule aboard the B-47, there was none in the bomb, and there was only negligible radiation release. Cleanup continued for several days after the accident; only about 25 lbs. of weapon remains were recovered as a result of an intensive search out to 3,000 feet in all directions from the crater. Fragments were found in an elliptical pattern downwind from the crater. Following this incident, steps were taken to fasten weapons more securely aboard aircraft, making accidental or intentional jettison more difficult.
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, p.250.
Location on Google Earth: 34 12 3.25 N, 79 39 25.66 W
1958 Mars Bluff B-47 nuclear weapon loss incident - Wikipedia
mhansen2
Gold Member
- Thread starter
- #49
14 March
1961 - B-52 / Yuba City, California
A B-52F on a "Coverall" airborne alert mission suffered a failure of the crew compartment pressurization system, forcing descent to 10,000 feet altitude, and resulting in increased fuel consumption which in turn caused fuel exhaustion and a crash before the aircraft could rendezvous with a tanker. The crew, with the exception of the aircraft commander, bailed out. The commander stayed with the B-52 to an altitude of 4,000 feet while steering the plane away from a populated area; he then also ejected.
The plane crashed just after 10:00 AM about 15 miles SW of Yuba City and carved out a wreckage field about 25 yards wide and 350 to 400 yards long. There was no fire.
Two MK 39 nuclear weapons aboard the aircraft were torn away on impact with the ground and separated by about 40 yards; the HE in them did not detonate although both devices were broken apart as a result of the crash (components were recovered). The nose of one bomb was crushed and HE in the primary was widely scattered; pieces of this weapon were spread over an area of 200 square yards. The primary and secondary of this weapon were thrown out of the ballistic case; the primary was destroyed and the secondary severely damaged.
Safety devices worked as designed, and there was no nuclear contamination. Tritium reservoirs from both bombs were torn loose, thrown 200 to 400 feet, but recovered intact.
All eight crewmen survived (two with injuries); a fireman died when his truck overturned enroute to the blazing aircraft wreckage. The recovery operation was hindered by rain and muddy terrain.
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, p.267.
1961 - B-52 / Yuba City, California
A B-52F on a "Coverall" airborne alert mission suffered a failure of the crew compartment pressurization system, forcing descent to 10,000 feet altitude, and resulting in increased fuel consumption which in turn caused fuel exhaustion and a crash before the aircraft could rendezvous with a tanker. The crew, with the exception of the aircraft commander, bailed out. The commander stayed with the B-52 to an altitude of 4,000 feet while steering the plane away from a populated area; he then also ejected.
The plane crashed just after 10:00 AM about 15 miles SW of Yuba City and carved out a wreckage field about 25 yards wide and 350 to 400 yards long. There was no fire.
Two MK 39 nuclear weapons aboard the aircraft were torn away on impact with the ground and separated by about 40 yards; the HE in them did not detonate although both devices were broken apart as a result of the crash (components were recovered). The nose of one bomb was crushed and HE in the primary was widely scattered; pieces of this weapon were spread over an area of 200 square yards. The primary and secondary of this weapon were thrown out of the ballistic case; the primary was destroyed and the secondary severely damaged.
Safety devices worked as designed, and there was no nuclear contamination. Tritium reservoirs from both bombs were torn loose, thrown 200 to 400 feet, but recovered intact.
All eight crewmen survived (two with injuries); a fireman died when his truck overturned enroute to the blazing aircraft wreckage. The recovery operation was hindered by rain and muddy terrain.
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, p.267.
mhansen2
Gold Member
- Thread starter
- #51
18 March
1962 - THOR missile / Johnston Island, Pacific Ocean
During a fourth attempt to conduct a high-altitude thermonuclear explosion, the THOR launch vehicle and its W-49 warhead were deliberately destroyed in flight following loss of control of the missile. Some radioactive debris fell back on Johnston Island.
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, p.271.
1963 – TITAN I / Larson AFB, near Moses Lake, Washington
During a maintenance operation, electrical power was applied to a check-out connector, resulting in an accidental firing of a separation rocket on the TITAN I missile RV in silo #3, complex ALFA, at approximately 1:40 PM. The TITAN was fueled but had no oxidizer aboard.
The cause of the rocket ignition was attributed to stray voltage induced by corrosion and/or moisture in electrical connectors. There was no fire or injury and damage was minor; neither the missile nor its war-reserve warhead were seriously damaged. There were no personnel casualties. (Not a "Broken Arrow" accident.)
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, pp.271-272.
Titan I 568-A Missile Silo Larson AFB Washington
1962 - THOR missile / Johnston Island, Pacific Ocean
During a fourth attempt to conduct a high-altitude thermonuclear explosion, the THOR launch vehicle and its W-49 warhead were deliberately destroyed in flight following loss of control of the missile. Some radioactive debris fell back on Johnston Island.
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, p.271.
1963 – TITAN I / Larson AFB, near Moses Lake, Washington
During a maintenance operation, electrical power was applied to a check-out connector, resulting in an accidental firing of a separation rocket on the TITAN I missile RV in silo #3, complex ALFA, at approximately 1:40 PM. The TITAN was fueled but had no oxidizer aboard.
The cause of the rocket ignition was attributed to stray voltage induced by corrosion and/or moisture in electrical connectors. There was no fire or injury and damage was minor; neither the missile nor its war-reserve warhead were seriously damaged. There were no personnel casualties. (Not a "Broken Arrow" accident.)
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, pp.271-272.
Titan I 568-A Missile Silo Larson AFB Washington
mhansen2
Gold Member
- Thread starter
- #53
11 April
1950 – B-29 / Manzano Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico
The aircraft, carrying an unarmed nuclear weapon and its capsule, departed Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque at 9:38 PM and, instead of climbing to 500 feet and turning right to avoid mountains to the east, proceeded straight out for three minutes at a low altitude for seven miles, rising only 900 to 1,000 feet above ground. At that time, a thin line of fire was noted on the foothills east of Kirtland; within five seconds, this fire mushroomed into a large billow of flame. No explosion was heard at either Kirtland AFB or on Sandia Base.
The crash into a mountain on Manzano Base killed all 13 crewmen aboard the B-29. Detonators were installed in a nuclear bomb aboard the aircraft, but for safety reasons the capsule was not inserted so a nuclear detonation was averted. The bomb casing was demolished and some HE burned in the subsequent aircraft fire fed by a full fuel load.
Other pieces of unburned HE and bomb components were scattered throughout the wreckage.
The bomb sphere and HE were scattered over an area of approximately 100 yards and were completely demolished. The HE did not detonate but burned after the gasoline explosion. Four spare detonators in their carrying cases were recovered undamaged. There were no contamination or recovery problems. Weapon components salvaged from the crash were returned to the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC).
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, p.237.
1950 – B-29 / Manzano Base, Albuquerque, New Mexico
The aircraft, carrying an unarmed nuclear weapon and its capsule, departed Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque at 9:38 PM and, instead of climbing to 500 feet and turning right to avoid mountains to the east, proceeded straight out for three minutes at a low altitude for seven miles, rising only 900 to 1,000 feet above ground. At that time, a thin line of fire was noted on the foothills east of Kirtland; within five seconds, this fire mushroomed into a large billow of flame. No explosion was heard at either Kirtland AFB or on Sandia Base.
The crash into a mountain on Manzano Base killed all 13 crewmen aboard the B-29. Detonators were installed in a nuclear bomb aboard the aircraft, but for safety reasons the capsule was not inserted so a nuclear detonation was averted. The bomb casing was demolished and some HE burned in the subsequent aircraft fire fed by a full fuel load.
Other pieces of unburned HE and bomb components were scattered throughout the wreckage.
The bomb sphere and HE were scattered over an area of approximately 100 yards and were completely demolished. The HE did not detonate but burned after the gasoline explosion. Four spare detonators in their carrying cases were recovered undamaged. There were no contamination or recovery problems. Weapon components salvaged from the crash were returned to the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC).
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, p.237.
mhansen2
Gold Member
- Thread starter
- #55
15 April
1952 – B-36D / Fairchild AFB, near Spokane, Washington
While making a maximum gross weight takeoff in darkness at about 3:45 AM, a B-36D failed to become safely airborne and crashed off the end of a runway at Fairchild AFB.
The aircraft was airborne briefly for approximately a quarter mile, when one starboard engine began backfiring and caught fire, followed by the shutdown of all six engines. The aircraft then skidded on its nose for another quarter mile, struck a ditch, and exploded. A “large heavy object (of highly classified nature)” tore through the front of the plane on impact, causing severe injuries to many crewmen. Later, amid several smaller explosions, a huge single explosion shook the ground. Seventeen men were aboard the plane; 15 were killed and two survived with major injuries.
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, p.239
1952 – B-36D / Fairchild AFB, near Spokane, Washington
While making a maximum gross weight takeoff in darkness at about 3:45 AM, a B-36D failed to become safely airborne and crashed off the end of a runway at Fairchild AFB.
The aircraft was airborne briefly for approximately a quarter mile, when one starboard engine began backfiring and caught fire, followed by the shutdown of all six engines. The aircraft then skidded on its nose for another quarter mile, struck a ditch, and exploded. A “large heavy object (of highly classified nature)” tore through the front of the plane on impact, causing severe injuries to many crewmen. Later, amid several smaller explosions, a huge single explosion shook the ground. Seventeen men were aboard the plane; 15 were killed and two survived with major injuries.
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, p.239
mhansen2
Gold Member
- Thread starter
- #57
Unknown date April (22 April?)
1980 – TITAN II missile / Wichita, Kansas
An EPA report dated February 1991 lists a TITAN as having been involved in a nuclear weapons accident on this date at this location. No further details are currently available. A newspaper clipping dated September 20, 1980 referred to a "leaking incident" at a TITAN silo near Potwin, Kansas on April 22, 1980.
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, p.290.
Titan II 533-1 Missile Silo McConnell AFB Kansas
1980 – TITAN II missile / Wichita, Kansas
An EPA report dated February 1991 lists a TITAN as having been involved in a nuclear weapons accident on this date at this location. No further details are currently available. A newspaper clipping dated September 20, 1980 referred to a "leaking incident" at a TITAN silo near Potwin, Kansas on April 22, 1980.
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, p.290.
Titan II 533-1 Missile Silo McConnell AFB Kansas
mhansen2
Gold Member
- Thread starter
- #59
Unknown date in May
1958 – An AEC memorandum dated May 5, 1958 reports on damage to an unidentified parachute-retarded nuclear aircraft bomb at an unspecified site and date. Damage was severe and included a four-inch long, quarter-inch deep gouge in the forward bomb case; severe deformation of the lower left fin; one spoiler band torn from the bomb and two other bands damaged; and some damage to the bomb parachute. The weapon and its capsule were returned to the Manzano Base in Albuquerque for a complete damage assessment. There were no casualties or injuries to personnel as a result of this accident. (Not a "Broken Arrow" incident.)
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, p.251
1963 - TITAN I / Beale AFB, near Marysville, California
During a maintenance operation involving missile batteries, personnel following instructions in a technical manual made an electrical connection that applied voltage to interstage separation rockets, causing them to ignite. There was some damage to the missile and silo equipment. There were no personnel injuries and the war-reserve warhead was not damaged. (Not a "Broken Arrow" incident.)
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, p.272.
1 May
1950 – B-29 / Unknown
A tabulation of Los Alamos National Laboratory archive files lists a folder named “Sites w/SRD Doc on B-29 Crash, 5/1/50.” No other details currently available. (This may possibly be a reference to the April 11, 1950 crash at Manzano.)
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, p.237
1958 – An AEC memorandum dated May 5, 1958 reports on damage to an unidentified parachute-retarded nuclear aircraft bomb at an unspecified site and date. Damage was severe and included a four-inch long, quarter-inch deep gouge in the forward bomb case; severe deformation of the lower left fin; one spoiler band torn from the bomb and two other bands damaged; and some damage to the bomb parachute. The weapon and its capsule were returned to the Manzano Base in Albuquerque for a complete damage assessment. There were no casualties or injuries to personnel as a result of this accident. (Not a "Broken Arrow" incident.)
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, p.251
1963 - TITAN I / Beale AFB, near Marysville, California
During a maintenance operation involving missile batteries, personnel following instructions in a technical manual made an electrical connection that applied voltage to interstage separation rockets, causing them to ignite. There was some damage to the missile and silo equipment. There were no personnel injuries and the war-reserve warhead was not damaged. (Not a "Broken Arrow" incident.)
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, p.272.
1 May
1950 – B-29 / Unknown
A tabulation of Los Alamos National Laboratory archive files lists a folder named “Sites w/SRD Doc on B-29 Crash, 5/1/50.” No other details currently available. (This may possibly be a reference to the April 11, 1950 crash at Manzano.)
Chuck Hansen, “The Swords of Armageddon,” Vol. VII, p.237
Similar threads
- Locked
New Topics
-
Assault weapons ban in VA passes both houses and will be signed by the governor...stock up before 7.1.2026- Started by Invisibleflash
- Replies: 0
-
-
-
Are there here users of John Deere equipment. You may have a problem- Started by Robert W
- Replies: 5
Latest Discussions
-
-
-
-
Do you support a 1% Federal Wealth Tax to pay down the $39T National Debt? (Poll)- Latest: Admiral Rockwell Tory