1961 Goldsboro B-52 crash
One of the Mk 39 nuclear weapons at Goldsboro, largely intact, with its parachute still attached.
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | January 24, 1961 |
| Summary | Structural failure |
| Site |
Faro, Nahunta Township, Wayne County, 12 miles (19 km) north of Goldsboro, North Carolina 35°29′35″N 77°51′33″W / 35.493041°N 77.859262°WCoordinates: 35°29′35″N 77°51′33″W / 35.493041°N 77.859262°W |
| Crew | 8 |
| Fatalities | 3 |
| Survivors | 5 |
| Aircraft type | B-52G |
| Operator | Strategic Air Command, United States Air Force |
| Registration | 58-0187 |
| Flight origin | Seymour Johnson Air Force Base |
| Destination | Seymour Johnson Air Force Base |
The 1961 Goldsboro B-52 Crash was an accident that occurred in Goldsboro, North Carolina, on January 24, 1961. A B-52 Stratofortress carrying two 3-4 megaton Mark 39 nuclear bombs broke up in mid-air, dropping its nuclear payload in the process. The pilot in command ordered the crew to eject at 9,000 feet (2,700 m). Five men successfully ejected or bailed out of the aircraft and landed safely. Another ejected but did not survive the landing, and two died in the crash. Information newly declassified in 2013 showed that one of the bombs came very close to detonating.
The aircraft, a B-52G, was based at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro. Around midnight on January 23–24, 1961, the bomber had a rendezvous with a tanker for aerial refueling. During the hook-up, the tanker crew advised the B-52 aircraft commander, Major Walter Scott Tulloch, that his aircraft had a fuel leak in the right wing. The refueling was aborted, and ground control was 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 pilot reported that the leak had worsened and that 37,000 pounds (17,000 kg) of fuel had been lost in three minutes. The aircraft was immediately directed to return and land at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.
As it descended through 10,000 feet (3,000 m) on its approach to the airfield, the pilots were no longer able to keep the aircraft in trim and lost control of it. The pilot in command ordered the crew to eject, which they did at 9,000 feet (2,700 m). Five men bailed out and landed safely. Another bailed out but did not survive the landing, and two died in the crash. The third pilot of the bomber, Lt. Adam Mattocks, is the only man known to have successfully bailed out of the top hatch of a B-52 without an ejection seat. Although the crew last saw the aircraft intact with its payload of two Mark 39 hydrogen thermonuclear bombs on board, it broke apart before impact, releasing the bombs. The wreckage of the aircraft covered a 2-square-mile (5.2 km2) area of tobacco and cotton farmland at Faro, about 12 miles (19 km) north of Goldsboro.
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