1961 Goldsboro B-52 crash
Encyclopedia
The 1961 Goldsboro B-52 crash refers to an accident that occurred near Goldsboro, North Carolina
, on 24 January 1961 when a B-52 Stratofortress
carrying two Mark 39
nuclear bombs broke up in mid-air, dropping its nuclear payload in the process.
onboard.
The two nuclear weapons separated from the gyrating aircraft as it broke up between 10000 feet (3,048 m) and 2000 feet (609.6 m). Five of the six arming mechanisms on one of the bombs activated, causing it to execute many of the steps needed to arm itself, such as charging the firing capacitors and, critically, deployment of a 100 feet (30.5 m) diameter retard parachute. The parachute allowed the bomb to hit the ground with little damage. The wreckage covered a 2 mi2 area of tobacco and cotton farmland at Faro, near Goldsboro.
According to former military analyst Daniel Ellsberg
, he saw highly classified documents indicating that the pilot’s safe/arm switch was the only one of the six arming devices on the bomb that prevented detonation. The Pentagon claims that there was no chance of an explosion and that two arming mechanisms had not activated. A DOD
spokesperson told UPI
reporter Donald May that the bomb was unarmed and could not explode.
The second bomb plunged into a muddy field at around 700 mi/h and disintegrated. The tail was discovered about 20 feet (6.1 m) below ground. Much of the bomb was recovered, including the tritium
bottle and the plutonium
. However, excavation was abandoned due to uncontrollable ground water flooding. Most of the thermonuclear stage, containing uranium
, was left in situ
. It is estimated to lie around 55 feet (16.8 m) below the surface. The Air Force purchased the land to prevent interference with the nuclear remnants.
The third pilot of the bomber, Lt. Adam Mattocks, is the only man known to successfully bail out of the top hatch of a B-52 without an ejection seat. The commander of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team, Lt. Jack B. ReVelle, said of the bomb, "How close was it to exploding? My opinion is damn close. You might now have a very large Bay of North Carolina if that thing had gone off." He also said the size of each bomb was 3.8 megatons, more than 250 times the destructive power of the Hiroshima bomb, and large enough to have a 100% kill zone of seventeen miles. Each bomb would exceed the yield of all munitions (outside of testing) ever detonated in the history of the world by TNT, gunpowder, conventional bombs, and the Hiroshima and Nagasaki blasts combined.
Goldsboro, North Carolina
Goldsboro is a city in Wayne County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 37,597 at the 2008 census estimate. It is the principal city of and is included in the Goldsboro, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. The nearby town of Waynesboro was founded in 1787 and Goldsboro was...
, on 24 January 1961 when a B-52 Stratofortress
B-52 Stratofortress
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...
carrying two Mark 39
W39
The Mark 39 nuclear bomb and W39 nuclear warhead were versions of an American thermonuclear weapon, which were in service from 1957 to 1966....
nuclear bombs broke up in mid-air, dropping its nuclear payload in the process.
Accident
The aircraft, a B-52G, was on a 24-hour "Coverall" airborne alert mission on the Atlantic seaboard. Around midnight on January 23/24, 1961, it rendezvoused with a tanker for mid-air refuelling. During the hook-up, the tanker crew advised the B-52 captain, Major W.S. Tulloch, that his aircraft had a leak in its port wing fuel cell. The refuelling was broken off, and ground control notified of the problem. The aircraft was directed to assume a holding pattern off the coast until the majority of fuel was consumed. However when the B-52 reached its assigned position, the captain reported that leak had worsened and that 37000 lbs of fuel had been lost in 3 minutes. The aircraft was immediately directed to land at Seymour Johnson Air Base. As it descended through 10000 feet (3,048 m) on its approach to the airfield, the pilots were no longer able to keep the aircraft in trim and lost control. The captain ordered the crew to eject, which they did at 9000 feet (2,743.2 m). The crew last saw the aircraft intact with its payload of two Mark 39 nuclear weaponsW39
The Mark 39 nuclear bomb and W39 nuclear warhead were versions of an American thermonuclear weapon, which were in service from 1957 to 1966....
onboard.
The two nuclear weapons separated from the gyrating aircraft as it broke up between 10000 feet (3,048 m) and 2000 feet (609.6 m). Five of the six arming mechanisms on one of the bombs activated, causing it to execute many of the steps needed to arm itself, such as charging the firing capacitors and, critically, deployment of a 100 feet (30.5 m) diameter retard parachute. The parachute allowed the bomb to hit the ground with little damage. The wreckage covered a 2 mi2 area of tobacco and cotton farmland at Faro, near Goldsboro.
According to former military analyst Daniel Ellsberg
Daniel Ellsberg
Daniel Ellsberg, PhD, is a former United States military analyst who, while employed by the RAND Corporation, precipitated a national political controversy in 1971 when he released the Pentagon Papers, a top-secret Pentagon study of U.S. government decision-making in relation to the Vietnam War,...
, he saw highly classified documents indicating that the pilot’s safe/arm switch was the only one of the six arming devices on the bomb that prevented detonation. The Pentagon claims that there was no chance of an explosion and that two arming mechanisms had not activated. A DOD
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
spokesperson told UPI
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
reporter Donald May that the bomb was unarmed and could not explode.
The second bomb plunged into a muddy field at around 700 mi/h and disintegrated. The tail was discovered about 20 feet (6.1 m) below ground. Much of the bomb was recovered, including the tritium
Tritium
Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. The nucleus of tritium contains one proton and two neutrons, whereas the nucleus of protium contains one proton and no neutrons...
bottle and the plutonium
Plutonium
Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
. However, excavation was abandoned due to uncontrollable ground water flooding. Most of the thermonuclear stage, containing uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
, was left in situ
In situ
In situ is a Latin phrase which translated literally as 'In position'. It is used in many different contexts.-Aerospace:In the aerospace industry, equipment on board aircraft must be tested in situ, or in place, to confirm everything functions properly as a system. Individually, each piece may...
. It is estimated to lie around 55 feet (16.8 m) below the surface. The Air Force purchased the land to prevent interference with the nuclear remnants.
The third pilot of the bomber, Lt. Adam Mattocks, is the only man known to successfully bail out of the top hatch of a B-52 without an ejection seat. The commander of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team, Lt. Jack B. ReVelle, said of the bomb, "How close was it to exploding? My opinion is damn close. You might now have a very large Bay of North Carolina if that thing had gone off." He also said the size of each bomb was 3.8 megatons, more than 250 times the destructive power of the Hiroshima bomb, and large enough to have a 100% kill zone of seventeen miles. Each bomb would exceed the yield of all munitions (outside of testing) ever detonated in the history of the world by TNT, gunpowder, conventional bombs, and the Hiroshima and Nagasaki blasts combined.