What happens when the most powerful weapons ever created are involved in clumsy accidents? In this episode of Waywut, we explore the shocking history of "Broken Arrow" incidents—the U.S. military's official code for accidents involving American nuclear weapons. Since 1950, there have been 32 publicly known cases where nuclear weapons have been accidentally dropped, fired, lost, or stolen.
Join us as we uncover the declassified stories of these terrifying mishaps on American soil:
- New Mexico, 1957: A B-47 bomber is on its final approach to Kirtland Air Force Base when a hydrogen bomb breaks loose inside the plane, forcing open the bomb bay doors and plummeting to the ground. While its nuclear capsule wasn't inserted, the conventional explosives detonated, leaving a crater and killing one cow.
- Wassaw Sound, Georgia, 1958: After a mid-air collision with an F-86 fighter, the crew of a B-47 is granted permission to jettison their 7,600-pound nuclear bomb to ensure a safe emergency landing. The bomb was dropped into the waters of Wassaw Sound and, despite an extensive search, was never recovered.
- Mars Bluff, South Carolina, 1958: While in the air, a navigator attempting to secure a faulty harness pin on a nuclear bomb accidentally triggers the emergency release. The two-ton weapon fell 15,000 feet, and its high-grade explosives detonated on a family's property, destroying their garage, damaging their home, and causing several injuries.
- Goldsboro, North Carolina, 1961: In perhaps the most chilling incident, a B-52 bomber carrying two hydrogen bombs begins to break apart in mid-air. As the bombs fell, one went through nearly its entire arming sequence, with only a single, simple, low-voltage switch preventing a full-scale nuclear detonation on U.S. soil. The secondary component of the other bomb was never recovered and remains buried deep in the mud.
This episode delves into the mechanical failures, human errors, and sheer luck that separated these events from becoming unimaginable catastrophes.
