1956 B-47 disappearance

1956 B-47 disappearance

A B-47E Stratojet similar to the incident aircraft.
Accident summary
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. 1.0 1.1 Aircraft Serial Number Search
  2. "Check-Six.com – Broken Arrow B-47". Archived from the original on 4 May 2009. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  3. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE – NARRATIVE SUMMARIES OF ACCIDENTS INVOLVING U.S. NUCLEAR WEAPONS 1950–1980
  4. Aerospaceweb.org – Broken Arrow Nuclear Weapon Accidents