1958 Tybee Island mid-air collision facts for kids
A Mk 15 nuclear bomb of the type lost when jettisoned after the collision
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| Midair Collision summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | February 5, 1958 |
| Summary | Midair collision |
| Place | Tybee Island, Georgia, U.S. 32°0′N 80°51′W / 32.000°N 80.850°W |
| First aircraft | |
| Type | Boeing B-47 Stratojet |
| Airline/user | United States Air Force |
| Registration | 51-2349 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Second aircraft | |
| Type | F-86 Sabre |
| Airline/user | United States Air Force |
| Crew | 1 |
| Survivors | 1 |
The Tybee Island mid-air collision happened on February 5, 1958. During this event, the United States Air Force lost a large 7,600-pound (3,400 kg) Mark 15 nuclear bomb. It fell into the ocean waters near Tybee Island, which is close to Savannah, Georgia, in the United States.
The incident occurred during a practice flight. An F-86 fighter jet crashed into a B-47 bomber. The bomber was carrying the bomb. To keep the aircrew safe from a possible explosion if the plane crashed, the bomb was dropped into the sea. After many tries, the bomb could not be found. It is believed to be lost somewhere in Wassaw Sound near Tybee Island.
Contents
What Happened: The Mid-Air Crash
The B-47 bomber was on a practice mission. It had flown from Homestead Air Force Base in Florida. The plane was carrying one large bomb, weighing about 7,600 pounds (3,400 kg).
Around 2:00 in the morning, an F-86 fighter jet hit the B-47. The F-86 crashed, but its pilot was able to safely eject from the plane. The B-47 bomber was badly damaged but stayed in the air. It dropped 18,000 feet (5,500 m) from its original height of 38,000 feet (12,000 m). The pilot, Colonel Howard Richardson, managed to get the plane under control again.
The crew asked for permission to drop the bomb. They wanted to make the plane lighter and prevent the bomb from exploding if they had to make an emergency landing. Permission was given. The bomb was dropped from 7,200 feet (2,200 m) while the bomber was flying at about 200 knots (370 km/h). The crew did not see any explosion when the bomb hit the water. They successfully landed the damaged B-47 at the closest base, Hunter Air Force Base. Colonel Richardson received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions.
About the Lost Bomb
The bomb lost was a Mark 15, about 12 feet (4 meters) long. It weighed 7,600 pounds (3,400 kg) and had the serial number 47782. It contained 400 pounds (180 kg) of regular high explosives. It also had highly enriched uranium.
There are different ideas about whether the bomb was a fully working nuclear weapon. Some sources say it was. Others say it was disabled. If it had a special nuclear part called a "plutonium core" inside, it was a complete weapon. If it had a "dummy core" (a fake one, often made of lead), it could not create a nuclear explosion. However, it could still cause a large explosion from its regular explosives.
The Air Force states that the "nuclear capsule," which starts the nuclear reaction, was removed before the flight. This means it was not a fully functional nuclear weapon. Documents from the time also suggest the bomb had a simulated 150-pound (68 kg) cap made of lead. However, a government official later said in 1966 that the Tybee Island bomb was a "complete weapon" with a nuclear part. Still, other military records show that older bombs like the Mark 15 were not allowed to fly with nuclear capsules in February 1958. This was because safer "sealed-pit nuclear capsule" weapons were not ready until June 1958.
Finding the Bomb: Search Efforts
The search for the bomb began on February 6, 1958. The Air Force and Navy used special equipment like sonar and drag lines to look for it. On April 16, the military announced they had not found the bomb. Experts believed the bomb was buried under 5 to 15 feet (1.5 to 4.6 m) of mud at the bottom of Wassaw Sound.
In 2004, a retired Air Force officer named Derek Duke claimed he had found a smaller area where the bomb might be. He and his partner used a Geiger counter on their boat. They found radiation levels that were four times higher than normal in that area. This suggested something radioactive was there. However, an Air Force expert thought the radiation might be natural. It could come from a mineral called monazite, which is naturally radioactive and found in that area.
What About Safety Today?
As of 2007, tests have not found dangerous levels of unnatural radioactive contamination in the local water supply. The levels found are thought to be from natural monazite minerals in the area.
In Popular Culture
In February 2015, a fake news website published a story. It claimed that Canadian divers on vacation had found the bomb. The story said the bomb had been removed from the bay. This fake story was shared widely on social media.
