1950 British Columbia B-36 crash
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 13 February 1950 |
| Summary | Engine failure |
| Site | over British Columbia, Canada 56°1′27.61″N 128°37′11.91″W / 56.0243361°N 128.6199750°WCoordinates: 56°1′27.61″N 128°37′11.91″W / 56.0243361°N 128.6199750°W |
| Passengers | 1 |
| Crew | 16 |
| Fatalities | 5 |
| Survivors | 12 |
| Aircraft type | Convair B-36B |
| Operator | United States Air Force |
| Registration | 44-92075 |
| Flight origin |
Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks, Alaska United States |
| Destination | Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth, Texas |
On 14 February 1950, a Convair B-36B, Air Force Serial Number 44-92075 assigned to the 7th Bomb Wing at Carswell Air Force Base, crashed in northern British Columbia after jettisoning a Mark 4 nuclear bomb. This was the first such nuclear weapon loss in history. The B-36 had been en route from Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks, Alaska to Carswell AFB in Fort Worth, Texas, more than 3000 miles south-east, on a mission that included a simulated nuclear attack on San Francisco.
Plane 44-92075 was flying on a simulated nuclear strike combat mission against the Soviet Union. The B-36 took off from Eielson AFB with a regular crew of 15 plus a Weaponeer and a Bomb Commander. The plan for the 24-hour flight was to fly over the North Pacific, due west of the Alaska panhandle and British Columbia, then head inland over Washington state and Montana. Here the B-36 would climb to 40,000 feet (12,000 m) for a simulated bomb run to southern California and then San Francisco, it would continue its non-stop flight to Fort Worth, Texas. The flight plan did not include any penetration of Canadian airspace. The plane carried a Mark IV atomic bomb, containing a substantial quantity of natural uranium and 5,000 pounds (2,300 kg) of conventional explosives. According to the USAF, the bomb did not contain the plutonium core necessary for a nuclear detonation.
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