Broken Arrow at Hardinsburg, Kentucky by Charles H. Bogart ,, Broken Arrow," a Cold War code word, is still used to . day by the US government. The utterance of this word would guarantee a rush of adrenaline in the hearts and minds of all that heard it. The code Broken Arrow meant that there had been a nuclear B-52 as seen from a KC-135 tanker (F. Sylvanovich collection) weapon accident "involving either a nuclear weapon, or nuclear warhead, or nuclear component." during the 1950s, 488 B-52s, mission. Standard procedure for On 15 October 1959 a Broken Ar­ carrying designations running SAC, in this period, was to keep ro°;;tfiicident was declared by the from B-52A to B-52F. twelve B-52s airborne 24 hours a Strategic Air Command (SAC) out­ The fear that the Soviets would day armed with nuclear weapons side of the town of Hardinsburg, launch an unannounced attack on so that if the North American Kentucky. the US using nuclear weapons led Defense Command detected a Hardinsburg, Kentucky is a to SAC aircraft to canying nuclear Soviet attack on the United States, small farm community located 70 weapons on board while they were SAC could immediately launch its miles west of Louisville. It is the on "Alert Status" and while flying aircraft in a retaliatory stiike. This county seat ofBreckinridge County. training missions. The nuclear meant that aircraft on training In 1960 Hardinsburg had a popu­ weapons carried by SAC's B-52s missions were armed with nuclear lation of 1,500 and the county had during this period were free falling weapons. This would allow them to a population of 12,000. Fam1ing bombs. The normal free fall bomb divert from their training mission was the main occupation. The only load per aircraft was two bombs, to hit their assigned Soviet target if US highway in the county was US but up to four could be carried needed while they were air­ 60, a winding, narrow, two lane depending on the weapon class. borne. Each B-52 on airborne alert blacktop road, that connected On 15 October 1959, at 2:30PM status could carry two to four Hardinsburg with Louisville to the CST, the 492nd Bomber Squadron nuclear bombs. east and Paducah to the west. of the 4228th Strategic Wing, The Nr Force has never con­ The 1950s had seen SAC stationed at the Columbus Air Force firmed what type of nuclear growing in strength. The piston Base, in Mississippi, launched a weapons #57-036 was carrying on engine B-29, B-36, and B-50 B-52F, serial number 57-036, on a 15 October 1959, but it is thought bombers and KC-97 tanker gave training mission as part of"Opera­ that they were Mk-39 free fall way to the jet powered B-47, B-52, tion Steel Trap." The flight was to bombs. The Mk-39 was an improved and B-58 bombers and KC-135 be of 15 hours duration. The plane Mk-15 bomb and had a four tankers. The B-52 Stratofortress was to fly a simulated mission megaton yield. This was one of the became the main SAC bomber. Its against a Soviet target. During the smaller yield nuclear bombs de­ high speed had led to the develop­ course of the flight it would refuel ployed by the US in the 1950s. ment of the jet powered KC-135 twice from a KC-135A and conduct The B-52F normally had a crew Stratotanker, because the propel­ a simulated bombing run. of six men. The crew of #57-036 ler driven KC-97 tanker's low When B-52F #57-036 was on I 5 October, consisted of Cap­ speed forced the B-52 to fly at near launched on 15 October 1959 she tain William G. Gutshall, aircraft stalling speed while refueling. The carried on board two nuclear commander; Major Milton Chat­ B-52 itself was undergoing a series weapons. Besides carrying out her ham, Instructor Pilot: 1st of modifications that saw the Air tLaining syllabus she was also Lieutenant Donald Arger, Co-Pilot; Force taking into its inventory assigned an airborne alert Captain James Strother, Radio

page 42 1,'?jf I FrienM__Journal VOL. 24, NO. 2 SUMMER 2001

Operator; 1st Lieutenant Gino tanker to be entering an elongated guidance during refueling was l"ugazzi, Radar Navigator; Captain leg of its pattern when a B-52 joins provided via radio link from the Lyle Burgess, Instmctor Navigator; up to commence refueling. Refuel­ tanker boom operator. With the and Technical Sergeant Howard ing, if all went well, stopped and B-52's nose just aft of the tail of the Helms, Gunner. the two planes separated, just KC-135, and at an altitude 25 feet At 1730 on 15 October 1959, before the tanker starts its tum lower, the boom operator would fly the 901 st Air Refueling Squadron for the opposite elongated leg. the boom into the refueling recep­ (AREFSJ of the 4228th Strategic The B-52 or other aircraft to be tacle located just aft of the B-52 Wing launched a KC- l 35A aircraft, refueled would approach the cockpit. serial number 57-1513, to provide KC-!35A from below and behind. The KC-135 refueling boom refueling service to 492nd B-52, The flight envelope between a B-52 consists of two tubular sections #57-036. The KC-135A was sched­ and a KC-135 for refueling is a that can extend out to 27 feet. The uled for a 15 hour mission during moving space twelve feet long, 14 boom can be moved through a cone which she would conduct a num­ feet wide, and 21 feet wide. At a area by "ruddevators," which act ber of aerial refuelings. The tanker speed of 500MPH, it takes only a as both rudders and elevators, they had a crew of four men. They were second to get out of position. The are, attached near the end of the Maj Robert Imhoff, Aircraft Com­ B-52 pilot positioned his aircraft boom. The boom operator by ma­ mander; 1st Lt William Epling, at the proper distance and altitude nipulating the ruddevators can Co-pilot: 1st Lt Harold Helmick, from the KC-135 by monitoring its meve the boom through a 30 de­ Navigator: and Staff Sergeant Paul system of director lights arranged gree right and left azimuth plus Thomason, Boom Operator. in two parallel lines. These lights elevate and depress the boom from The tanker, upon departure are located on the belly of the tanker horizontal to minus 50 degrees. At from Columbus, had been assigned behind that aircraft's nose wheel the end of the boom is a telescoping a refueling area over Kentucky. The housing. The row of lights tubular section that the boom B-52 crew was briefed where the informed the pilot of the refueling operator inserts and locks into the KC-135 would take up position to B-52 if he needed to come forward receiving plane's refueling recep­ refuel. On reaching the refueling or drop back to be in the proper tacle. Once the boom is plugged position the KC-135 began to fly a refueling position. into the B-52, refueling commences left tum pattern that resembled an The pressure of the receiving with 6,500 pounds ofjet fuel being elongated race course. To assist aircraft on the boom controls the transferred each minute. The the B-52 to locate the tanker the light pattern. The boom having KC-135Acan carry 202,800 pounds KC-135 activated a radar IFF code. the ability to extend and compress, of JP-4 fuel for transfer. Upon the This code allows the aircraft to be and move right and left within the B-52 reporting it has received its refueled to identify its refueling air­ flight refueling envelope. This quota of fuel, the boom operator craft from beyond visual range. movement of the boom activates disconnects the boom. Once free of SAC's refueling SOP calls for the the directional lights. Additional the boom the two aircraft separate and each continues on its assigned mission. Boeing KC·135A (USAFM) On 15 October at 1840 CST, the two aircraft, #57-036 and #57-1513 began to prepare for refueling operations. The KC-135, assumed a racetrack refueling box overwestem Kentucky. The weather that night was clear, and there was no upper air turbulence. Wind speed was 20 MPH out of the west. Horizontal visibility was seven miles. The two aircraft began to rendezvous over Hardinsburg, Kentucky, at 31,500 feet. Upon joining up, the KC-135 would begin to transfer fuel to the B-52 by means of a refueling boom. The

page 43 boom refueling operator would from sites distant and far. Phone bun1ing, because it was giving off lower the boom and guide it into calls flooded both the Kentucky a brilliant white fire. Near the fuse­ the B-52 refueling receptacle. In and Indiana State Police plus local lage were three holes in the ground order to carry out the refueling law enforcement agencies. Most ranging in size from 20 to 30 feet operation the two aircraft would people identifying what they saw in long and stx to 8 feet wide. They have to fly within 25 feet of each the sky as a meteorite, a shooting were filled with a liquid that smelled other. The B-52 took a position star, a UFO, or a Russian "Sputnik" like Kerosene." below and to the rear of the satellite. Only a few understood The B-52 plowed into the tanker. they were witnessing one or more ground on the fanns of Reason What happened next is aircraft crashing. Surprisingly Sabastain and of Marcus Whitler unclear but what is known is that almost all witnesses agreed to what near the crossroads of McQuady. as the two aircraft came into they saw; a flash and then four At the time of the collision Mr contact with each other at 6:46PM burning objects falling toward the Sabastain had been out on his CST. Upon coming into contact ground. The citizens making the farm while his wife and two grand­ with each other the KC-135 refuel­ reports all provided guesses to children were in the house. One of ing tank ruptured. The fuel, spilling where the explosion happened or the B-52's engines impacted into out of the aircraft, was ignited by the object crashed. There were also the ground 50 feet from where he the engines ofone of the lwo planes. numerous reports to the Kentucky stood. The main part of the aircraft The result was a spectacular explo­ State Police of an explosion which hit the ground a quarter of a mile sion that was witnessed by persons rattled windows from an area cen­ away in a grove of oak trees on the on the ground up to a 150 miles tered 20 miles around the village of Whitler farn1. Mr Sabastain, in tell­ away. This collision marked the Glen Dean, Kentucky. ing of his experience that night, first accident in which SAC lost an The two aircraft had plunged to said "I was standing in the yard aircraft in a refueling exercise since the ground twelve miles south of when they hit. I looked up and the it had begun around-the-clock Hardinsburg. They landed two miles sky was on fire. At first I didn't refueling operations in 1951. apart in rugged hill country served know what it could be, but when I What actually happened in the by narrow gravel roads. The saw all those fiery pieces coming sky that night is uncertain, but it KC- l 35A impacted the earth on the down on me, I knew it must be a is known that as soon as the two farm of Mrs Ruby Jones 100 yards plane crash. I was standing under planes collided, both experienced from the farm house of Briscoll a pear tree when the pieces began rapid break-up of their fuselages. Thurman, near the village of Glen to hit all over. One part hit 50 feet This caused both aircraft to lose Dean, The aircraft dug a trench 75 from where 1 was standing. An­ electrical power including inter­ feet long and 35 feet wide as it other part hit further away and aircraft phones and alarm circuits. buried itself into the ground. spouted flames as high as a full Internal fires broke out in both Wellington Mathews, one of the first grown tree. I ran over and could see aircraft. The tanker became to reach the site, stated that, "We a man in the burning wreckage but engulfed in flames as she broke walked over hills, through woods, the heat was so intense I couldn't up. The integrity of the B-52 lasted briar patches, and ditches to reach get close to help." only a little longer. This delay al­ the crash site. When we reached CaITied to the ground with the lowed paii of the crew of the bomber the scene we found an area several B-52 were the two nuclear weap­ to abandon their aircraft. Major . hundred feet in diameter completely ons it had been armed with. When Milton Chatham was the first to burned. The trees were charred the B-52 hit the ground the eject. He was followed by Captain from the flames. Pieces of metal aircraft created a crater four feet William Gutshall, the pilot. Imme­ were dripping from the trees like deep, 35 feet long, and ten feet diately thereafter Captain James cold icicles. Many of the huge trees wide. Debris was spread over an Strother and 1st Lt Gino Fugazzi were torn down as if they had been acre of ground, and numerous exited the aircraft. The other four pushed over by a bulldozer. The ground cover fires broke out at the crew members of the B-52 were biggest bit of wreckage was a part crash site. trapped in their aircraft. As for the of the fuselage 50 feet long and stx The four surviving crew mem­ crew of the KC-135, none were able to ten feet across. We couldn't find bers of the bomber'landed in their to exit the aircraft. Destruction of a single bit of identification nor did parachutes near the village of their aircraft was instantaneous. we see any evidence of crewn1en. Glen Dean. Two of them, Major The collision of the two aircraft The place was almost as light as Chatham and Captain Gutshall, · was observed by a variety of people day. It must have been magnesium were rescued by Raymond Sosh

page 44 1,,'?JF Friendi,_Journal VOL. 24, NO. 2 SUMMER 2001

was reported as being safe. It is uncertain how this "run1or" got started, but it is thought this was clue to the fact that two of the B-52 survivors were listed as pilots. The news media incorrectly assumed that the two pilots were from different aircraft. This misinfor­ mation was only corrected in the news media 24 hours after the incident.. When SAC headquarters re­ ceived reports of the accident, it dispatched disaster teams from Barksdale AFB, LA, and OffuttAFB, NE. Ft Knox, the Kentucky Na­ Refueling of a 8-52 by a KC-135 tanker (USAFM) tional Guard, Kentucky Civil Air Patrol, the Kentucky State Police, and Ray Ashley who transported Dean quickly swung into action and the Atomic Energy Commis­ them to Critchelow's Store in Glen and set up a feeding center at the sion (AEC) also sent personnel to Dean. The store was one of the few store where coffee and sandwiches the scene. The Air Force, upon re­ places in the village of approxi­ were made available to the workers covery of the survivors, set out to mately 80 souls that had a phone. during the length of the incident. collect the remains of the eight men From here phone calls were made The news media was able to lost from the two crashed aircraft. to the Columbus AFB, Breckinridge obtain little information from the They also secured and covered the County Sheriff Office, and to the survivors. The only recorded re­ two atomic bombs. residence of Dr Walter R. Morris. sponse that was quoted was an First news media reports from · Dr Manis was summoned to treat unattributed statement of "I guess the site reported the presence of Major Chapman who was bleeding you saw as much as we did, l don't what were thought to be two badly from a cut and injured arm. know what happened up there." nuclear weapons. These were re­ The other two B-52 survivors The news media the following days ported to be objects approximately landed at the farm of Russell offered to their readers two sce­ 15 feet long and three feet in diam­ Morgan. He recounted to the news narios of what happened; the eter. That there were two nuclear media that he saw the two men planes collided with each other or weapons on board the B-52 was and their parachutes Janel in a grove the tanker exploded when the fuel confirmed by Lt Gen John P. of trees. He stated that he was only transfer staiied. The Air Force crash McConnell, Commanding Officer of able to find them because "they investigation report listing the cause the 2nd Air Force (2AF). The 2AF kept calling for help. We yelled back of this incident is still classified. Lt controlled the 492nd Bomber and forth and finally got together." General John P. McConnell, at the Squadron and 901st Air Refueling Mr Morgan took the two survivors, time he set up the crash investiga­ Squadron. Later the Air Force and Captain Strother and 1st Lt tion team, stated that their mission the Atomic Energy Commission Fugazzi to Glen Dean where they was to determine if, "The collision released a report that both weap­ were united with the other survi­ caused the explosion or the explo­ ons had been recovered. That vors. sion caused the collision." The news release stated; ''Two unarmed The news media was on the accident investigation team based nuclear weapons were recovered scene closely behind the doctor. at Little Rock AFB was headed by intact. One bomb was found in the Air Force personnel sent to recover Brig Gen John S. Samuels. All wreckage of the B-52. The second the survivors did not arrive at the general literature on the incident was found in the woods close by. store until the next morning. By however state that the two planes One weapon had been partially first light KY 629, a two-lane gravel collided. burned but this did not result in road, had over 1,000 cars parked Initial news reports from the the dispersion of any nuclear along both sides of the road for two scene stated that five crew mem­ material or other contamination." miles as sightseers descended on bers survived the collision. Major The AEC further stated that its Glen Dean. The good ladies of Glen Robert Imhoff, the KC-135A pilot personnel had surveyed the area

page 45 with Geiger counters and had B-52 and KC-135 crew members board, the aircraft had carried other detected no radiation. The type of were accounted for. After the explosives that could pose a threat nuclear weapon recovered was not bodies were viewed by the , to. anyone picking them up. Vari­ released by the Air Force or the Breckinridge County Coroner, ous pieces of aircraft material, as a AEC at this time or at latter news who declared them dead and is­ result of this notice, were re­ briefing, but the author believes sued their death certificates, the covered from sightseers and from that they were MK-39 nuclear bodies were removed from the site. property that Jay' outside the weapons. The news media report­ Local newspaper reports stated p1imary search area. The Air Force ing that the bomb "was about the that the deceased were each placed would spend three weeks search­ size of a large log being 15 feet in a body bag. The body bags were ing the area to ensure recovery of Jong." The Air Force, on reaching then transported on stretchers by as much of the two aircraft as the scene, had covered both de­ the military personnel to the near­ possible before ending recovery viceswith blankets. The two nuclear est road where they were loaded on operations. I have found no men­ weapons were removed from the ambulances for transport to Ft tion of how the reported jet fuel site on the afternoon of 16 October Knox. pools at the crash sites v.rere 1959. With the bodies and nuclear cleaned up. The Atomic Energy Commis­ weapons recovered, the Air Force Today no historical marker sion (AEC) personnel had come to now turned to recove1ing as much locates the site of the crash of the crash scene, because in 1947 of the wreckage of the two aircrall these two aircraft. In fact local the AEC had been charged with as possible. The Air Force' s main knowledge of the event is limited insuring that there was a separa­ concern was to insure that all to the generation who experienced tion between the producer and classified material was recovered. the crash. The next collision be­ consumer of nuclear weapons. As The area of search covered roughly tween a B-52 and a KC-135 would originally conceived, the AEC had a five mile square area. Most of the not be forgotten. This collision physical custody of all nuclear debris fell within two separate would generate world wide news weapons, even at US Air Force 10,000 sq ft areas, but other parts coverage, protests, documentaries, bases. Only if the President di­ had separated from the two aircraft and numerous books and articles. rected that nuclear weapons were at the time of the collision and fell This was the 17 January 1966, to be used would the AEC turn the to the earth in a five mile Jong "Palomares Spain Incident" in weapons over to the Air Force, corridor. Other material from the which four nuclear weapons were Army or Navy. aircraft had been picked up and involved. The hunt to recover the The AEC would continue to removed from the site by sight seers. missing crew members, the four retain direct control over most of News reports speak of bits of nuclear weapons, and the two the US nuclear weapon stockpile debris scattered over a wide area aircraft parts is now part of the until 1967whenPreGidentJohnson around Glen Dean and McQuacly. Jore of the Cold War. The ordered the AEC to' tum all the A large portion of one wing of the Hardinsburg B-52/KC-135 crash nuclear weapons it held over to tanker was found two miles from incident was reduced to a footnote DOD. the crash site. Also found some of the "Palomares Spain Incident." In 1959 the AEC was still an distance away were objects identi­ The military death count for the equal player with DOD in the fied by the news media as a chair, Cold War only gives the names of control and accountability of engine, and a door. Due to the wide those killed in direct confrontation nuclear weapons. This explained spread debris trail, the Air Force with the Communist Forces, but the presence of the two AEC requested all citizens in the area to the eight who died at Hardinsburg representatives at the B-52 crash report any debris they spotted. A are but part of the total fatalities site. These two AEC representa­ phone number at Ft Knox was suffered by the US Armed Forces tives were charged with ensuring provided for citizens to call. Citi­ from various causes during the that both nuclear weapons and their zens were also advised not to move Cold War. The end result of dying components were completely re­ any debris they found for only if in combat and dying during a covered, and that there had been the Air Force knew its actual training mission are the same, life no release of radioactive material location could the object found ceases. The 15th of October 1959, at the crash site. help in solving the myste1y of what thus marks a day in which the The same day as tl1e two nuclear happened. The Air Force also ad­ Cold War reached out and touched weapons were re111oved fron1 the visee! that in addition to the two the lives of many in Breckinridge site, the bodies of all eight missing recovered nuclear weapons on County, Kentucky.w

page 46