1956 B-47 disappearance
The 1956 B-47 disappearance occurred on 10 March 1956 over the Mediterranean Sea.
 A B-47E Stratojet similar to the incident aircraft. | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 10 March 1956 |
| Summary | Missing, status unknown |
| Site | Mediterranean Sea |
| Aircraft type | Boeing B-47E Stratojet |
| Operator | United States Air Force |
| Registration | 52-534 |
| Flight origin | MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, United States |
| Destination | Ben Guerir Air Base, Morocco |
| Passengers | 0 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | Unknown |
| Injuries | Unknown |
| Survivors | Unknown |
Flight
A Boeing B-47 Stratojet took off from MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, in the United States for a non-stop flight to Ben Guerir Air Base, Morocco,[1] and completed the first of two planned aerial refuelings without incident.[2]
After descending through solid cloud cover to begin the second refueling at 14,000 feet (4,300 m), B-47E serial number 52-534,[1] failed to make contact with its tanker.[3]
The unarmed aircraft was transporting two different capsules of nuclear weapons material in carrying cases; a nuclear detonation was not possible.[4]
Aftermath
Despite an extensive search, no debris or bodies were ever found, and the crash site has never been located.[3] The crew was declared dead:
- Captain Robert H. Hodgin, 31, aircraft commander
- Captain Gordon M. Insley, 32, observer
- 2nd Lt. Ronald L. Kurtz, 22, pilot
References
- Aircraft Serial Number Search
- Aviation Safety Network
- "Check-Six.com – Broken Arrow B-47". Archived from the original on 4 May 2009. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
- "DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE – NARRATIVE the best SUMMARIES OF ACCIDENTS INVOLVING U.S. NUCLEAR WEAPONS 1950–1980" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 January 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2011.