1966 Palomares B-52 crash
The B28RI nuclear bomb, recovered from 2,850 feet (870 m) of water, on the deck of the USS Petrel.
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| Collision summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 17 January 1966 |
| Summary | Mid-air collision |
| Site |
Mediterranean Sea near Palomares, Almería, Spain 37°14′57″N 1°47′49″W / 37.24917°N 1.79694°WCoordinates: 37°14′57″N 1°47′49″W / 37.24917°N 1.79694°W |
| Total fatalities | 7 |
| First aircraft | |
| Type | B-52G |
| Operator | Strategic Air Command, United States Air Force |
| Registration | 58-0256 |
| Flight origin |
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base North Carolina, United States |
| Destination | Seymour Johnson Air Force Base |
| Crew | 7 |
| Fatalities | 3 |
| Survivors | 4 |
| Second aircraft | |
| Type | KC-135 Stratotanker |
| Operator | United States Air Force |
| Registration | 61-0273 |
| Flight origin | Morón Air Base, Spain |
| Destination | Morón Air Base |
| Crew | 4 |
| Fatalities | 4 (all) |
The 1966 Palomares B-52 crash, or the Palomares incident, occurred on 17 January 1966, when a B-52G bomber of the United States Air Force's Strategic Air Command collided with a KC-135 tanker during mid-air refuelling at 31,000 feet (9,450 m) over the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Spain. The KC-135 was completely destroyed when its fuel load ignited, killing all four crew members. The B-52G broke apart, killing three of the seven crew members aboard.
Of the four Mk28-type hydrogen bombs the B-52G carried, three were found on land near the small fishing village of Palomares in the municipality of Cuevas del Almanzora, Almería, Spain. The non-nuclear explosives in two of the weapons detonated upon impact with the ground, resulting in the contamination of a 2-square-kilometer (490-acre) (0.78 square mile) area by plutonium. The fourth, which fell into the Mediterranean Sea, was recovered intact after a 2½-month-long search.
The B-52G began its mission from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, carrying four type B28RI hydrogen bombs on a Cold War airborne alert mission named Operation Chrome Dome. The flight plan took the aircraft east across the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea towards the European borders of the Soviet Union before returning home. The lengthy flight required two mid-air refuellings over Spain.
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