Colonel Richardson was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross after this incident. As the plane broke apart, the two bombs plummeted toward the ground. US Air Force Bomber Accidentally Dropped Atomic Bomb into South Herein lies the silver lining. ], In July 2012, the State of North Carolina erected a historical road marker in the town of Eureka, 3 miles (4.8km) north of the crash site, commemorating the crash under the title "Nuclear Mishap".[21]. Eight crew were aboard the gas-guzzling B-52 bomber during a routine flight along the Carolina coast that fateful night. Declassified documents that the National Security Archive released this week offered new details about the incident. A Boeing B-52 Stratofortress carrying two 3-4- megaton Mark 39 nuclear bombs broke up in mid-air, dropping its nuclear payload in the process. On the ground, all five members of the Gregg family were injured, as was young cousin Ella, who required 31 stitches. What caused the accident was the navigator of the B-47 bomber, who pulled the release handle of the mechanism holding. Secondary radioactive particles four times naturally occurring levels were detected and mapped, and the site of radiation origination triangulated. Weapon 2, the second bomb with the unopened parachute, landed in a free fall. Remembering A Near Disaster: US Accidentally Drops Nuclear Bombs On [4] The Air Force maintains that its "nuclear capsule" (physics package), used to initiate the nuclear reaction, was removed before its flight aboard the B-47. Everything in the home was left in ruin. Just take the time in 1958, when a bomber accidentally dropped an unarmed nuclear warhead on the unsuspecting town of Mars Bluff, South Carolina. A Boeing B-47E-LM Stratojet departed from Hunter Air Force Base in Savannah, Georgia and was headed to England. Today, many North Carolinians have no idea how close our state came to being struck by two powerful nuclear bombs. Specifically, it occurred at the Medina Base, an annex formerly used as a National Stockpile Site (NSS). Back in the 60s, it was also used to decommission and disassemble old nuclear weapons. Offer subject to change without notice. Even now, over 55 years after the accident, people are still looking for it. Which travel companies promote harmful wildlife activities? Add a Comment. One of the bombs fell intact, with a parachute to guide its fall.
Planets Visible Tonight In South Florida,
Reimagined Ventures Litowitz,
Articles N
nuclear bomb accidentally dropped