#OnThisDate January 24, 1961: Nuclear Near-Miss

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A B-52G Stratofortress From Seymour Johnson Air Force Base In North Carolina Experienced A Catastrophic Failure. The Aircraft, Commanded By Major Walter Scott Tulloch, Was On A Routine Airborne Alert Mission When It Developed A Severe Fuel Leak In Its Right Wing. Despite Efforts To Manage The Situation, The Bomber Broke Apart In Mid-Air Over Faro, Near Goldsboro, North Carolina. The Crew Was Ordered To Eject At An Altitude Of 9,000 Feet; Five Survived, While Three Perished.

The B-52 Was Carrying Two Mark 39 Thermonuclear Bombs, Each With A Yield Of 3.8 Megatons. Upon The Aircraft's Disintegration, Both Bombs Were Released. One Descended With A Parachute And Was Found Largely Intact, Its Arming Switch In The "Safe" Position. The Other Bomb's Parachute Failed To Deploy, Causing It To Impact The Ground At High Speed And Disintegrate. Crucially, Three Of The Four Safety Mechanisms On This Bomb Failed, Leaving Only A Single Low-Voltage Switch Preventing Detonation.

Recovery Teams Managed To Retrieve Substantial Portions Of The Second Bomb; However, The Uranium Core Remains Unrecovered, Believed To Be Buried Deep Beneath The Farmland Near Goldsboro. The U.S. Air Force Purchased An Easement Around The Site To Prevent Excavation And Continues To Monitor The Area For Radiation, Though None Has Been Detected To Date.

This Incident, Known As The Goldsboro B-52 Crash, Underscores The Precarious Nature Of Nuclear Weapons Safety During The Cold War. Declassified Documents Reveal That The United States Narrowly Avoided A Catastrophic Nuclear Explosion On Its Own Soil, Highlighting The Critical Importance Of Stringent Safety Protocols In The Handling And Management Of Nuclear Arsenals.

The Goldsboro Event Serves As A Sobering Reminder Of The Potential Consequences Of Nuclear Weapons Accidents. It Emphasizes The Need For Rigorous Safety Measures And Constant Vigilance To Prevent Similar Near-Disasters In The Future.

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