1964 Savage Mountain B-52 crash
Encyclopedia
The 1964 Savage Mountain B-52 crash was a U.S. military nuclear accident in which a Cold War bomber's vertical stabilizer broke off in winter storm turbulence. The two Mark 53 nuclear bombs being ferried were found "relatively intact in the middle of the wreckage", and after Fort Meade
's 28th Ordnance Detachment secured them, the bombs were removed 2 days later to the Cumberland Municipal Airport
.
from Massachusetts
after an earlier Chrome Dome
airborne alert to Europe. Near Meyersdale, Pennsylvania
, on a path east of Salisbury, Pennsylvania
; and after altitude changes to evade severe turbulence; the vertical stabilizer broke off. The greater part of the wreckage was on the Stonewall Green farm covered by 14 in (35.6 cm) of snow. The crash site is a private meadow of Elbow Mountain
within Savage River State Forest
along the public Savage Mountain Trail just north of the Pine Swamp Road crossing and about 1000 yards from the quarry at 1236 Pine Swamp Road.
died in the crash and was not located until more than 24 hours afterward. The navigator and tail gunner
died of exposure
in the snow. The navigator's body was found two days after the accident, six miles from the crash and three miles away from where his orange parachute was found near Poplar Lick Run -- he had left his unused survival tent and "meandered" into and out of an open barn as with hypothermia stages 2 & 3. After landing in the "Dye Factory field", the tail gunner trekked in the dark with a broken leg and other injuries over 100 yards to the embankment of Casselman River
-- in which his legs were frozen when his body was found five days later, 800 yards from a Salisbury street light.
The pilot parachuted into Maryland's Meadow Mountain ridge near the Mason–Dixon Line and, after being driven to the Tomlinson Inn on the National Road, notified the USAF of the crash. The co-pilot landed near New Germany Road
and remained "cozy warm" until rescued.
Fort Meade, Maryland
Fort Meade is a census-designated place in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. The population was 9,882 at the 2000 census. It is the home to the National Security Agency, which is located on the US Army post Fort George G...
's 28th Ordnance Detachment secured them, the bombs were removed 2 days later to the Cumberland Municipal Airport
Greater Cumberland Regional Airport
Greater Cumberland Regional Airport is a public airport located in the town of Wiley Ford in Mineral County, West Virginia. It is two miles south of the larger city of Cumberland in Allegany County, Maryland...
.
Accident description
The B-52D was returning to GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
from Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
after an earlier Chrome Dome
Operation Chrome Dome
Operation Chrome Dome was one of several United States Air Force Cold-War era airborne global alert duties or programs in which B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber aircraft armed with thermonuclear weapons were assigned targets in the Soviet Union on schedules guaranteeing that a substantial...
airborne alert to Europe. Near Meyersdale, Pennsylvania
Meyersdale, Pennsylvania
Meyersdale is a borough in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, on the Casselman River, southeast of Pittsburgh. In the past, its chief industry was the mining of coal. Meyersdale was first settled as early as 1776, but the growth of the town dates from the advent of the first railroad in 1871. Coal...
, on a path east of Salisbury, Pennsylvania
Salisbury, Pennsylvania
Salisbury is a borough in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 878 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
; and after altitude changes to evade severe turbulence; the vertical stabilizer broke off. The greater part of the wreckage was on the Stonewall Green farm covered by 14 in (35.6 cm) of snow. The crash site is a private meadow of Elbow Mountain
Savage Mountain
The two Big Savage Mountain summits are part of Savage Mountain.The two Big Savage Mountain summits are part of Savage Mountain....
within Savage River State Forest
Savage River State Forest
Savage River State Forest is a state forest in Garrett County in the state of Maryland. At over , it is the largest state forest in the state. Its features include 12,000 acres designated as "wildlands" and 10 miles of cross country ski trails....
along the public Savage Mountain Trail just north of the Pine Swamp Road crossing and about 1000 yards from the quarry at 1236 Pine Swamp Road.
Crew
As the only crew member who did not eject, the radar bombardierBombardier (air force)
A bombardier , in the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force, or a bomb aimer, in the Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth air forces, was the crewman of a bomber responsible for assisting the navigator in guiding the plane to a bombing target and releasing the aircraft's bomb...
died in the crash and was not located until more than 24 hours afterward. The navigator and tail gunner
Tail gunner
A tail gunner or rear gunner is a crewman on a military aircraft who functions as a gunner defending against enemy fighter attacks from the rear, or "tail", of the plane. The tail gunner operates a flexible machine gun emplacement on either the top or tail end of the aircraft with a generally...
died of exposure
Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...
in the snow. The navigator's body was found two days after the accident, six miles from the crash and three miles away from where his orange parachute was found near Poplar Lick Run -- he had left his unused survival tent and "meandered" into and out of an open barn as with hypothermia stages 2 & 3. After landing in the "Dye Factory field", the tail gunner trekked in the dark with a broken leg and other injuries over 100 yards to the embankment of Casselman River
Casselman River
The Casselman River is a tributary of the Youghiogheny River in western Maryland and Pennsylvania in the United States.The Casselman River rises atop the plateau of western Maryland and then follows a great arc across the Laurel Highlands of Somerset County, Pennsylvania to the appropriately named...
-- in which his legs were frozen when his body was found five days later, 800 yards from a Salisbury street light.
The pilot parachuted into Maryland's Meadow Mountain ridge near the Mason–Dixon Line and, after being driven to the Tomlinson Inn on the National Road, notified the USAF of the crash. The co-pilot landed near New Germany Road
New Germany State Park
New Germany State Park is a Maryland state park contained within Savage River State Forest. The park features boat launch, boat rental, cabins, cross country skiing, camp fire programs, camp sites, snack bar, dump station, fishing, flat water canoeing, hiking trail, historic interest, picnic table...
and remained "cozy warm" until rescued.