1965 Philippine Sea A-4 incident
A MK43 free-fall nuclear weapon on a handling dolly
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| Incident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | December 5, 1965 |
| Summary | Pre-flight human error |
| Site | Philippine Sea,[1] 80 mi (130 km) E of Ryukyu Islands[2] (U.S.-occupied Okinawa) Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Fatalities | Pilot (LTJG Douglas M. Webster)[3] |
| Aircraft type | Douglas A-4E Skyhawk |
| Operator | .jpg){kind=small} Attack Squadron VA-56[4]Carrier Air Wing Five |
| Registration | BuNo 151022[4] |
The 1965 Philippine Sea A-4 crash was a Broken Arrow incident in which a United States Navy Douglas A-4E Skyhawk attack aircraft carrying a nuclear weapon fell into the sea from the aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga.[5]
The accident
On 5 December 1965, 31 days after Ticonderoga's departure from U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay in the Philippines,[5] the attack jet fell over the side during a training exercise while being rolled from the number 2 hangar bay to the number 2 elevator.[3] The pilot, Lieutenant (junior grade) Douglas M. Webster; the aircraft, Douglas A-4E BuNo 151022 of Attack Squadron 56 (VA-56); and the B43 nuclear bomb were never recovered[6] from the 16,000 ft (4,900 m) depth.[1] The accident occurred 80 miles (130 km) from Okinawa.[7][8]
Ticonderoga had aboard Carrier Air Wing Five during this cruise, with two squadrons of Skyhawks, the other being VA-144.[9]
Revelation
It was not until 1989 that the Pentagon revealed the loss of the one-megaton bomb.[10] The revelation inspired a diplomatic inquiry from Japan requesting details.[11]
References
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<references />, or <references group="..." />- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. NOTE: The Joe Baugher aircraft listing for this A-4 mistakenly identifies different waters (South China Sea near Vietnam) from those specified by the Deck Log's coordinates (E of Ryukyu Islands).
- ↑ Gibson, James N. Nuclear Weapons of the United States – An Illustrated History. Atglen, Pennsylvania.: Schiffer Publishing, 1996, LCCN 96-67282, ISBN 0-7643-0063-6, p. 130.
Winchester, Jim, Douglas A-4 Skyhawk: Heineman's Hot Rod. Barnsley, Yorkshire, United Kingdom: Pen & Sword Books, 2005, ISBN 1-84415-085-2, page 199. - ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Broken Arrows at www.atomicarchive.com. Accessed Aug 24, 2007.
- ↑ Gibson, James N. Nuclear Weapons of the United States – An Illustrated History. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 1996, Library of Congress card no. 96-67282, ISBN 0-7643-0063-6, p. 130.
- ↑ Winchester, Jim, Douglas A-4 Skyhawk: Heineman's Hot Rod. Barnsley, Yorkshire, United Kingdom: Pen & Sword Books, 2005, ISBN 1-84415-085-2, p. 199.
- ↑ http://www.gonavy.jp/CV-CV14f.html
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post, "Japan Asks Details On Lost H-Bomb", Wednesday, 10 May 1989, page A-35.
