1956 B-47 disappearance
A B-47E Stratojet similar to the incident aircraft. | |
Accident summary | |
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Date | 10 March 1956 |
Summary | Missing, status unknown |
Site | Mediterranean sea |
Passengers | 0 |
Crew | 3 |
Injuries (non-fatal) | 0 |
Fatalities | 3 |
Survivors | 0 |
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 |
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.
After descending through solid cloud 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.[2]
The unarmed aircraft was carrying two capsules of nuclear weapons material in carrying cases; a nuclear detonation was not possible.[3]
Aftermath
Despite an extensive search, no debris was ever found, and the crash site has never been located.[4] The crew has been declared dead.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Aircraft Serial Number Search
- ↑ "Check-Six.com – Broken Arrow B-47". Archived from the original on 4 May 2009. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
- ↑ DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE – NARRATIVE SUMMARIES OF ACCIDENTS INVOLVING U.S. NUCLEAR WEAPONS 1950–1980
- ↑ Aerospaceweb.org – Broken Arrow Nuclear Weapon Accidents
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