COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Big Buff Big Oops. Early Retirements Coming Up.


The missiles were mounted on the wings of a B-52 bomber

US B-52 in nuclear cargo blunder


BBC
The US Air Force has launched an investigation after a B-52 bomber flew across the US last week mistakenly loaded with nuclear-armed missiles.
It follows reports in the Army Times that five missiles were unaccounted for during the three-hour flight from North Dakota to Louisiana.

The air force said the cruise missiles were safe at all times.

Army Times said the missiles were to be decommissioned but were mistakenly mounted on the bomber's wings.

The W80-1 warhead has a yield of five to 150 kilotons, the paper said.

'Decertified'

The flight took place on 30 August, from the Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota to the Barksdale Air Force Base, near Bossier City, in Louisiana.

Air force spokesman Lt Col Ed Thomas said although this was an "isolated incident", Air Combat Command had directed a "command-wide stand down to review process at all of our bases".

Col Thomas said a general had been appointed to investigate the incident and would report by 14 September.



"At no time was there a threat to public safety. It is important to note that munitions were safe, secure and under military control at all times," Col Thomas said.

"The air force takes its mission to safeguard weapons seriously. No effort will be spared to ensure that the matter is thoroughly and completely investigated."

Army Times quoted the colonel as saying the loading crew involved had been temporarily "decertified" pending retraining and the investigation.

A military official told AFP news agency that President George W Bush had been informed of the mix-up.

"There are procedures in place and they kicked in and worked," the official said.

The BBC's Adam Brookes in Washington says experts have made it clear that if the plane had crashed there would not have been a nuclear explosion but there could have been a threat from plutonium leakage.



7 comments:

  1. Watching a wing of those big fellows take out of Fairchild AFB outside of Spokane--a sight to behold.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The may retire some Generals, but the Buff flies on.
    Some reporting that by the time the last finally retires, there'll be 90 years of service on the books.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Folks unkowingly flying about with nuke warheads clipped to the wings is bothersome enough. The fact that it is being reported in the media is....puzzling. I'm curious as to how this story came to light. Anyone know aside from that the Army Times was the first to break it?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Utube of B-52 Don't think they should treat them like crop dusters at these air shows. Don't do it any more I think.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I saw the last minute of that before:
    Thot it might have been a malfunction.
    Didn't know they tried so hard to break it.
    They did.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Looks like they just keeled over too far, and couldn't correct.

    ReplyDelete
  7. How many guys like us all over the world just sat looking at the tv and saying, "WHAT THE FUCK?"

    ReplyDelete