Broken Arrow

[My Good Babushka]

In February 1958, the U.S. Air Force accidentally dropped an atom bomb on South Carolina when two planes collided. A B-47 over Mars Bluff released the device. It’s fissionable core was stored somewhere else, but thousands of pounds of conventional explosives fell 15,000 feet into the home of William Gregg, leaving a 75 ft crater. Such “broken arrow” events common in that era. Five of them occurred in 1958.

[Recursion]

1. Was that a broken arrow per se?

I thought that term only referred to loss of custody of the fissable elements?

[whistler162]

2. Did Slim Pickens ride it down?

sounds like a loss of custody to me.

[Recursion]

3. As I read it, it was never on the plane?

Am I reading that wrong?

[whistler162]

4. You are right, still likely

due to the technology in the bomb, classified as a Broken Arrow occurrence.

[My Good Babushka]

5. Thanks for clearing that up.

Last edited Thu Nov 20, 2014, 02:11 PM - Edit history (1)

All I know is that the account I read of it called it a Broken Arrow event.

[A HERETIC I AM]

6. Well, obviously Mr. Gregg pissed someone off! n/t

[Wolf Frankula]

7. From Giles Prentice in the Movie of that name

"I don't know what's scarier, losing nuclear weapons, or that it happens so often there's actually a term for it. "

Wolf