ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 48306
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| Date: | Monday 17 January 1966 |
| Time: | 10:30 LT |
| Type: |  Boeing B-52G-115-BW Stratofortress |
| Owner/operator: | 68th (B) Wg SAC USAF |
| Registration: | 58-0256 |
| MSN: | 464324 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 7 |
| Other fatalities: | 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | near Palomares, Cuevas del Almanzora, Almería, -
 Spain
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Seymour Johnson AFB, NC |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
B-52G s/n 58‑0256 of 68th Bomb Wing, SAC, USAF operating out of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, N.C.
During 24 hour "Operation Chrome Dome", collided with KC‑135A 61-0273 (c/n 18180) during air‑to‑air refuelling near Palomares, Spain. A total of four nuclear weapons fell from wreckage. Both aircraft crashed, killing three on board the B-52G, and all four on board the KC-135.
Of the crew of seven on board the B-52G, four survived, three were killed:
Aircraft Commander instructor pilot Captain Charles "Charlie" Wendorf - ejected, landed in sea
Pilot Major Larry Messinger - ejected landed in sea
Co-pilot Michael Rooney - bailed out landed in sea
Radar Navigator Capt. Ivan Buchanan - ejected came down on land
First Lieutenant George J. Glesner (killed)
First Lieutenant Steven G. Montanus (killed)
Tech. Sergeant Ronald P. Snyder (missing - presumed KIA)
Of the four Mk 28 type hydrogen bombs the B-52G carried, three were found on land near the small fishing village of Palomares in the municipality of Cuevas del Almanzora, Almería, Spain. The non-nuclear explosives in two of the weapons detonated upon impact with the ground, resulting in the contamination of a 2-square-kilometer (490-acre) (0.78 square mile) area by plutonium. The fourth, which fell into the Mediterranean Sea, was recovered intact after a 2½-month-long search
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1966_Palomares_B-52_crash
http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1958.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20171101061754/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/aircraft_by_type/b52_stratofortress.htm
https://www.findagrave.com/page=dfl&GRid=49189942
http://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=1278350
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 07-Nov-2008 10:15 | ASN archive | Added |
| 12-Feb-2013 16:20 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 12-Feb-2013 16:22 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 28-Jun-2013 08:05 | Nepa | Updated [Operator] |
| 31-Jan-2019 18:16 | wf | Updated [Aircraft type, Narrative] |
| 02-Feb-2019 20:29 | Anon. | Updated [Narrative] |
| 07-Jun-2019 18:54 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
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