ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 48300
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| Date: | Tuesday 24 January 1961 |
| Time: | 12:30 |
| Type: |  Boeing B-52G-95-BW Stratofortress |
| Owner/operator: | 4241st Strategic Wg SAC USAF |
| Registration: | 58-0187 |
| MSN: | 464255 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 8 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Faro, 12 miles north of Seymour Johnson AFB, Goldsboro, NC -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | |
| Seymour Johnson AFB, Goldsboro, NC | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Crashed and destroyed due to fatigue failure of starboard wing after fuel leak at high altitude. Wing failed when flaps were selected during emergency approach to Seymour Johnson AFB, Goldsboro, North Carolina, on January 24 1961.
Two nuclear weapons separated from the aircraft, one fell by parachute, and was caught by its parachute in the branches of a tree. The weapons came down at Faro, 12 miles (19 km) north of Goldsboro, North Carolina at approximate co-ordinates 35.5123°N 77.8463°W. One Mk.39 nuclear weapon crashed into the ground at approximately the speed of sound and buried its self deeply. The Air Force was unable to recover parts of the Mk.39 buried below about 40 feet due to flooding in the hole, so much of it was left in place. It was found that all but the last of four firing safeties had released on both bombs. Today, The Air Force still owns a 200 foot circle of ground in the field and occasionally tests for radiation
Crew:
Pilot: Maj Walter S Tulloch USAF ejected minor injuries.
Co-pilot: Capt Richard W Hardin USAF ejected minor injuries.
Rad/Nav: Maj Eugene Shelton USAF ejected killed.
Nav: Capt Paul E Brown USAF ejected minor injuries.
EWO: 1st/Lt William H Wilson USAF ejected serious injuries.
EWO/Inst: Maj Eugene H Richards USAF bailed out killed.
3rd pilot: 1st/Lt Adam C Mattocks USAF bailed out minor injuries.
AG: T/Sgt Francis R Barnish USAF killed.
On July 2, 2012, the state of North Carolina erected a historical road marker in the town of Eureka, 3 miles north of the crash site, commemorating the crash under the title "Nuclear Mishap.", The unveiling ceremony was attended by Adam Mattocks, the sole survivor in 2012 of the crew of 58-0187
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1961_Goldsboro_B-52_crash
http://web.archive.org/web/20171101061754/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/aircraft_by_type/b52_stratofortress.htm
http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1958.html
http://www.lib.unc.edu/ncc/ref/nchistory/jan2008/index.html
http://www.ibiblio.org/bomb/index.html
http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/07/02/2173231/shaffer-in-eureka-they-have-found.html
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/12/us/north-carolina-nuclear-bomb-drop/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 07-Nov-2008 10:15 | ASN archive | Added |
| 09-Nov-2009 19:14 | JINX | Updated |
| 09-Nov-2009 19:16 | JINX | Updated |
| 09-Nov-2009 19:17 | JINX | Updated |
| 09-Nov-2009 19:19 | JINX | Updated |
| 09-Nov-2009 19:26 | JINX | Updated |
| 15-Feb-2013 20:59 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 28-Dec-2015 15:09 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source] |
| 01-Feb-2020 21:37 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
| 24-Feb-2020 17:19 | Xindel XL | Updated [Operator, Location, Operator] |
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