On January 24, 1961, the skies over Goldsboro, North Carolina, became the backdrop for one of the most alarming accidents of the Cold War era. A Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, laden with two 3–4-megaton Mark 39 nuclear bombs, suffered a catastrophic structural failure and broke apart mid-air. What followed was a series of events that brought the United States perilously close to experiencing a nuclear detonation on its own soil.

The Flight and the Accident

The B-52G aircraft was part of the Strategic Air Command of the United States Air Force and was stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro. On the fateful night of January 23-24, 1961, the bomber was scheduled for an aerial refueling. However, during the process, the tanker crew noticed a fuel leak in the B-52’s right wing. The refueling was promptly aborted, and the aircraft was instructed to burn off its excess fuel off the coast. But the situation deteriorated rapidly. In just three minutes, the B-52 lost 37,000 pounds of fuel. The decision was made to return to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base immediately.

However, as the aircraft descended for landing, the crew lost control. The pilot, Walter Scott Tulloch, ordered an evacuation at 9,000 feet. Five crew members managed to eject safely, but three were not so fortunate. One failed to survive the parachute landing, and two perished in the crash.

The Near-Detonation

The aftermath of the crash revealed a chilling fact. One of the two Mark 39 nuclear bombs had come dangerously close to detonating. Declassified information in 2013 confirmed that three out of the four necessary arming mechanisms on the bomb had activated. Only one safety switch had prevented a full-scale nuclear explosion.

The aircraft wreckage was scattered over a 2-square-mile area near Faro, about 12 miles north of Goldsboro. One of the bombs descended with its parachute and was found intact, caught in a tree. The other bomb, however, plunged into a muddy field at a staggering speed of around 700 miles per hour, disintegrating without detonating its conventional explosives. The tail of this bomb was discovered buried 20 feet underground.

The Aftermath and Revelations

The Pentagon, at the time, downplayed the severity of the incident, asserting that there was no possibility of a nuclear explosion. However, subsequent revelations painted a different picture. Former military analyst Daniel Ellsberg claimed that only one safety mechanism out of six had prevented the bomb’s detonation. This was later confirmed in 2013 when it was revealed that only one out of four safety switches had stopped the explosion.

If a 3.8 megaton nuclear bomb were to explode Goldsboro:

1. Fireball Radius (1.02 miles): The immediate area around the explosion, where everything is vaporized. If the fireball touches the ground, radioactive fallout increases significantly.
2. Heavy Blast Damage (1.12 miles): In this zone, concrete buildings are severely damaged or destroyed, and almost everyone is likely to die.
3. Moderate Blast Damage (6.64 miles): Most houses will collapse, injuries will be universal, and many people will die. Fires are likely to start and spread.
4. Thermal Radiation (13.6 miles): People in this zone will suffer third-degree burns, which can cause severe scarring or require amputation.

The second bomb’s excavation was eventually halted due to groundwater flooding challenges. While most of the bomb was left buried, the core containing uranium and plutonium was removed. The site today is marked by a circular easement, purchased by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and is visible on satellite imagery platforms like Google Earth.

The Goldsboro incident serves as a stark reminder of the inherent risks associated with nuclear weapons. It underscores the importance of stringent safety measures and the potential consequences of even minor oversights in the handling of such powerful armaments.