1956 B-47 disappearance

1956 B-47 disappearance
A B-47E Stratojet similar to the incident aircraft.
Accident
Date 10 March 1956
Summary Missing, status unknown
Site Mediterranean sea
Aircraft type Boeing B-47E Stratojet
Operator United States Air Force
Registration 52-534
Flight origin MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, United States
Destination Ben Guerir Air Base, Morocco
Passengers 0
Crew 3
Fatalities Unknown
Injuries Unknown
Survivors Unknown

The 1956 B-47 disappearance occurred on 10 March 1956 over the Mediterranean Sea.

Flight

A Boeing B-47 Stratojet took off from MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, in the United States for a non-stop flight to Ben Guerir Air Base, Morocco[1] and completed the first aerial refueling without incident.[2]

After descending through solid cloud cover to begin the second refueling, at 14,000 feet (4,300 m), B-47E serial number 52-534,[1] failed to make contact with its tanker.[3]

The unarmed aircraft was transporting two different capsules of nuclear weapons material in carrying cases; a nuclear detonation was not possible.[4]

Aftermath

Despite an extensive search, no debris or bodies were ever found, and the crash site has never been located.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 Aircraft Serial Number Search
  2. Aviation Safety Network
  3. "Check-Six.com – Broken Arrow B-47". Archived from the original on 4 May 2009. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  4. "DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE – NARRATIVE the best SUMMARIES OF ACCIDENTS INVOLVING U.S. NUCLEAR WEAPONS 1950–1980" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 January 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  5. Aerospaceweb.org – Broken Arrow Nuclear Weapon Accidents
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