B-52 Fire at Grand Forks Air Force Base
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 พ.ค. 2018
- The History Guy remembers the day we nearly irradiated North Dakota and the B-52 Fire at Grand Forks Air Force Base in 1980.
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I was the person who volunteered to enter the aircraft in a last-ditch effort to control the fuel flow supporting this fire, in spite of the fact that Boeing told us to back-off, because an explosion was inevitable. I asked one of my fire inspectors to go with me to assist with a flashlight
and to prevent violating the "two-man-concept". I know Eric Schlosser and I just want to say that I think you and Eric have both done a great job in accurately portraying the events of that evening, without sensationalism. Well done.
You definitely earned that Civilian Medal of Valor, Mr. Griffis. I was already on active duty at the time, stationed at Kirtland AFB, but my parents still lived in Minneapolis. I thought "Command and Control" was an excellent book.
Wow! You are very brave and first class! Thank you!
@@Gail1Marie "Command And Control" just rocks. It should be required reading for every adult in the USA.
IT was very Intense, I was the Alert Monitor that day, I will never forget this at 20 years old, I do remember the Pilot Captain Officer ( I will keep to myself) at the time and tail number of the bomber was 0059 is all I will say, building 807 I had hot lines in those days one to command post, security tower, job control. The Tower who notified me of the fire 20 minutes after a moving Klaxon exercise Alert . I Remember about 3 feet deep burned into the runway by Jet fuel from engines 5 & 6 burning 3 hours , Only one injury I Remember a crew chief for the bomber was treated with smoke inhalation, Thank you North Dakota winds that Monday but it was Sept. 15th 1980 I actually stopped over to Command Post that night,
I know we all wax with wisdom after the fact, and I know what I saw because I walked around that plane when it was on fire I stood off the nose with my arm 16 over my shoulder, my parka on my shoulder because it was hot with my Bible in my left hand, and I prayed I prayed and Mark and to this day I’ve searched my Bible trying to figure out what I prayed and I can’t find it. There’s a loneliness that I have shared our entire life ever since that plane something I’ve experienced and it took 37 years for the Air Force for the military for the United States, government the veterans administration, and everybody else had their sticky little fingers on it a cover-up it took them 37 years to say oh yeah, it happened because somebody piped up and said I live through it I hope I hope they treat you better than they’ve treated me because of my book I’m $250 million in the red
I was the guy in the command post answering the phone with the "I can neither confirm or deny" line. I remember walking out of my office after the klaxon to go home, noticed all the alert birds on the wrong end of the runway and the highway blockade. I had command post clearance and decided to go down to see if they'd let me in since I couldn't get off base anyway. Got through what is normally a very secure door in seconds flat. The Major in charge pointed at a phone and said "answer that and tell them you can neither confirm or deny". That's how I found out what was going on. It was a pretty intense few hours.
Grant Marlenee intensity is ebbing my psyche even after 40 years. fire team we stayed out there till about a half hour past the fire. Every so on that pad who paid attention in class understood that those SRAMs could kill us in a blink. Was there any MH or Debriefing you went thru
😲
@@johnl.geibel2373 Were you ever stationed at Davis Monthan AFB?
Jed-Henry Witkowski no why
Yeah. I bet it was rough on the people that had to stay out there. I was nervous a half mile away in an underground bunker.
They should have you on the history channel not the reality TV they do today you are awesome
Totally agree. It's a tragedy what A&E has done to all the great info-tainment channels: History, Discovery, TLC, etc. The History Guy is awesome.
I second that!
No no no no, he has freedom here... he will not have freedom on some lame ass tv channel.
No, dont touch that turd pole that history channel has become.
True that Aaron oh yes!
I was a aerial gunner on one of the aircraft parked in the Christmas tree alert area. There was one aircraft between our crew and the aircraft fire.
The normal alert cycle was a week on 7 day alert inside the fenced and secured alert area. We knew that sometime during that week we would have a practice alert response. That involved responding directly to our assigned aircraft, preloaded with personal gear, classified documents, and anything else needed for a long mission.
We got a klaxon alert horn and ran to our aircraft, our sleeping quarters was close by. As the crew chief arrived he started pulling aircraft engine covers, aircraft parking chicks, getting ready for engine start. The gunner (myself) would do the same thing on the left side. The gunner was the last one to climb aboard thru the crew hatch.
The engines were screaming in a high pitched whine, almost vibrating e wry bone in your body. As I was climbing up the ladder, there was a bright flash toward number three aircraft. I could see flames shooting way above the aircraft.
I climbed in, closed the hatch, and our plane started taxiing out of our parking spot. The gunners seat was upstairs on the upper crew deck. I got strapped in, co acted my parachute, helmet and intercom wire
The remains aircraft taxied down to the other end of a very long runway, and pared close together with engines running.
We sat there waiting on the command post to give further instructions to either give the takeoff coded message or remain in place.
At this point,we didn't find out until hours later. We eventually feedback into alert status in the Christmas tree parking area,regular and were co ked back on alert.
You, sir, are a guy that deserves to be remembered.
I was stationed at Griffiss AFB, a SAC B-52 base in 1980. We all had to go through heavy briefings due to the Grand Forks accident, as we had bunkers full of B-52 cruise missile spindles. We were told of the contamination possibility there and the need to improve all base & aircraft fire suppression systems. Wild stuff back then.
I was stationed at GFAFB in 1987. This is the first I’ve heard of this story. I do remember Grand Forks wanting to have the base shut down and not understanding why. When it was explained how much money the base dumped into the local economy and the volunteer work with flooding during the spring, that movement died down.
Consider that the B-52 entered service closer to the Wright Brother's first flight than it's entry date is today.
The B-52 has been in service for almost 55% of the entire history of aviation.
The operational life of the B-52 is *ALREADY* unprecedented. It is the oldest current operational front line combat aircraft and the longest serving aircraft of any kind currently in the USAF inventory.
Eric Taylor
I believe the C-130 has been around longer. Can't say that with 109% certainty. Good research idea.
The B-52 first flew 15 April 1952 and was introduced in 1955. The C-130 first flew 23 August 1954 so it depends on how you define it. However, the C-130 is not a combat aircraft. The AC-130 is a combat aircraft but it wasn't developed until 1966.
Eric Taylor
Thanks for the info. I wasn't sure.
Amazing how the C-130 just looks old and the B-52 so much more modern.
I logged a ton of hours on the B-52.
Real or simulated? What's amazing to me, the B-52 is old enough that there are 3rd generation B-52 pilots. A pilot whose father and grandfather were also B-52 pilots.
On the other hand, a C-130 is capable of landing and taking off from a Nimitz class aircraft carrier.
th-cam.com/video/uM5AI3YSV3M/w-d-xo.html
Both the B-52 and the C-130 are extraordinary aircraft.
Eric Taylor
Real. Stationed at Carswell back in the 80s.
I was either on board or at both aircraft you spoke of in your video. I was assigned to the 319th AMS at the time. The airmen that died on board the aircraft on the parking ramp were friends of mine and I was just outside of the aircraft when it went up. I was on board the B-52 that was on the Alert ramp when it caught fire the memories are still very fresh in my mind. Thanks for the video.
Pop was the first Military Forefighter on the one of Jan of 83. I didn't find out till about 3 years ago, wish he had told me sooner, I was only 3 months old at the time at home with my mother
I just stumbled upon this video and read your comment. My father was one of the 5 men killed in Jan. 1983. I love finding things out about this incident at I was 7 months old when this happened.
Great videos sir! This brings to mind a little remembered story also involving the venerable B-52 while on ready alert status. The airfield in Bangor, Maine now home of a wing of KC-135 refuelers and the Bangor International Airport has been home to a lot of history. During the cold war it was home to a B-52 wing as well as fighters and refuelers. This base also had the 'Christmas tree' ramp at the East end of the massive runway where the bombers would sit ready to roll onto the main runway at short notice. This Christmas tree was built at an angle so gravity would start the aircrafts taxi as quickly as the brakes were released. As There is no 'reverse' on a B-52 this required the fully laden craft to be towed backwards up into their ready spots, this must have required some finesse I would imagine. It was apparently done by winch, cable, and pulleys from a winch vehicle placed to the front of the aircraft and the tow cable stretched under, to a 'dead man' black aft, then to some tow point on the tail. From a very short story with photo in the Bangor Daily News during one of these operations the tow cable broke free and cut one (fully fueled) wing, the port I recall, clean off the fuselage near its base. The photo showed a giant spill of fuel and many personal running in various directions, but little other detail. There was no fire, thank God.
My father was a fighter pilot with the 18th FIS and we opened Grand Forks AFB in May 1960. During the Cold War if there was an operational runway the base would be opened. So, we moved into base housing when there were no roof shingles yet, the housing roads were North Dakota mud, there was no Commasary or Base Exchange, no schools, no youth facilities, and other support facilities were not operational yet. But we had an operational runway and F101 Vodoos to scramble. We did that often and they broke the sound barrier often, rattling windows. We kids loved it!
Okay, I'm a SAC trained killer going back to 1975. The AGM 65 is what is known as the SRAM Missile. It was carried in a rotary rack of 8 missiles. So at best there would have been 16 AGM 65 missiles, but the most I have seen and knew of were 8 AGM 65's and a bomb load of 1 large nuke or 4 smaller nukes.
The scariest time I had was 2 days before Christmas when I was called out on stand by at about 2 AM, what Job Control told me was a stuck screw. I was a machinist and pat of our job was to remove stuck screws. Well, it turned out to be a stuck ARMING TOOL for the SRAM Missile. The tool was a "T" shaped tool that screwed in to the missile with a part that was inside that armed the missile. Not knowing much about about this tool, I was using a hammer to hit the "T" part to see if I could get it to unscrew. I had no effect as the Crew Chief cross threaded it and used a wrench to force it to screw in. After an hour I had to call my Shop Chief (Boss for the civilians) as he had far more experience. When he got there and saw what was happening, he just went WHITE. Evidently, the missile was armed and me beating on that "T" shaped tool, could have set it off. Not a nuclear yield, but an explosion that would have caused a lot of radiation (or dirty bomb) to go off and kill me and about 25 other people in the area. Not to mention a large part of the base would have been contaminated along with a good portion of the town down wind.
Well, it is best to say everything I was doing was halted and the missile was removed from the aircraft the next day. The warhead was removed, made safe and sent back to the manufacturer or to a DEPOT to remove that tool or fix the warhead.
To this day, I thank God that I'm still alive and that I was not responsible for killing several thousands of people.
Yes, others also noticed that the internal load was eight. The number twelve was a quotation from author Eric Schlosser, who was apparently mistaken. It is difficult to verify how many missiles were on board, as the Air Force has never released the accident details.
Wow- what a terrifying story- thank you for sharing! That is what i would have done with a stuck T shaped screw as well. You would hope that people fixing nuclear weapons had specialized training on the subject...
Thank you for your service! I am glad that you did not get blown up.
AGM-69
LOL, your right, I don't know why I wrote AGM 65, dyslectic I guess or it could have been that I still had my 65 Corvair on my mind. I was looking up parts to restore it before I saw this. I know the SRAM is the AGM 69. Thanks for the correction.
I’m with you Brother.
The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered You also have to remember that back in the 50s and 60s it was the era of Nuclear cowboys too.
Nobody that messed around with these things really knew what it was capable of, as any technology in its infancy, but they were also eager to push its limits.
Such as the Simi Valley nuclear meltdown for an example.
I was off duty and watched this B-52 burn on the Alert Pad from my 3rd floor day room, in barracks 322, about a mile and a half away. Us off duty Airmen, in the barracks, knew it was bad, but were not instructed to do anything.
We were previously briefed if a nuclear weapon were to detonate on base we couldn’t get in our car and drive away fast enough, even with hours of warning.
Anyhow, I watched until near midnight, but went to bed because I had to be at work at 7:00 A.M. the next day.
I wondered if I’d wake up the next day and what we would be faced with. Briefings were conducted the next day and we were instructed to not to talk to anyone about it, but it has been 40 years and I was not on site of the fire, and know not much more than has already been disclosed.
Sgt. Brumley
319th FMS
Grand Forks AFB ND
March 1977 to Dec 1980
My kid went to Medical School in Grand Forks. They held a family brunch with the students on graduation weekend. In addition to being glued to their books for 4 years; when they did have a rare break from their studies, there was only that North Dakota wind and cold to greet them outside. It looked like a convention of vampire victims. Everyone who served at that base deserves a medal just for showing up, IMHO.
Major: "Do we have a nuclear risk?"
*finger in the air*
Base official: "Hm... I can neither confirm nor deny it."
It’s nice to hear Dick Cheney’s name associated with something that isn’t completely awful.
I was stationed at GFAFB when this happened and I remember this well, although I wasn't part of the 319 Bomb Wing, I was actually part of the 321st Strategic Missile Wing, both part of GFAFB. Good times
Randall Castro Sr. , like wise from ‘67 /70 , was involved in an Incident going to Mike 24 in Jan of 68 , pretty scary times . Alls well that ends well !
Thank you for all the work you put into your videos. It's amazing the things I've never heard of or just forgot about. Love your videos.
i was there, attending 1st grade at twining elementary. Remember the sound of the explosion and worrying about which one of our neighbors got hurt. I loved living there.
In the Manchester Airport Disaster on 22nd August 1985 a British Airtours had a problem when the port, left, engine caught fire during takeoff. The crew managed to abort the takeoff and when they got to the end of the runways turned to the right to clear it before stopping to allow the evacuation to begin.
Unfortunately this meant that the wind blew straight along the wing and set the cabin on fire where 54 people died, with one more dying in hospital. If the pilot had turned left instead of right the wind would have blown away from the cabin and most, if not all, could have survived.
god never underestimate the power of wind
The aircraft was a Boeing 737-236 Advanced, registered G-BGJL.
I really love your delivery in these videos. Great story too.
I would have thought that the crew's evacuation procedure would have included shutting off the fuel valves.
RandomTorok Good point, the Flight Engineer should have done that as a part of his Engine Fire drill long before the Captain gave the order to abandon the aircraft.
I was at GFAFB when this fire occurred and there was a briefing by my 319th FMS Squadron Commander (as he was briefed on it) that the co-pilot failed to pull the T-handles (fuel shut off valves) upon exiting the B-52.
Note: the engine that caught fire was #5, (inboard engine closest to the co-pilot)
I don’t remember it ever being confirmed, but I think it was claimed that the T-handles were pulled, but the electrical power was killed prior rendering the action null and void.
Anyhow, a fire raging with a fuel line the size of a garden hose a few feet from your window, well, you’re not going to think real clearly.
Mark Fryer -There is no flight engineer on a B-52. The emergency shut off T-handles are quite visible at the top of the instrument panel. Both the pilot and copilot have direct, easily reachable access to pull any one or all of them in an emergency. Doing so shuts off the fuel and everything associated with that engine including bleed air coming off that engine and going into the wing manifold. Only the pilot, copilot and maybe an observer can do this maneuver.
Rita Wessel Thank you for your service - and this story!
RandomTorok :
You are correct about the evacuation procedure for systems shutdown but with the severity of that explosion the valve was melted open. Which forced the Brass to “wait” for the Starboard wing bladder fuel tank to drain out. This Fact is of course contrary to the Official Air Force reports that say a Brave Firefighter volunteered and went onboard that plane and shit off the fuel valve. How I know about this eyewitness version is because the next morning we were summoned to the old armory at 8 am and they “ Debriefed “ us Officially.
I was an Air Force firefighter during the 1970s. I mainly worked around B-52s and KC-135s, at Loring AFB, Maine, and Andersen AFB, Guam. We were, of course, trained to deal with all emergencies, but we received special training in dealing with aircraft emergencies with weapons, and especially "special weapons" on board. We had very special "Secret" training concerning "special weapons," and what to expect from them when involved in fire or a crash. We always had " cocked'" or loaded B-52s on the flightline, on alert.I was an Air For
The B-52 is my favorite aircraft. I've responded to hundreds of emergencies involving them. Gladly, none of the serious ones did not include nuclear, "special weapons."
Thanks, History Guy for your page, for stories like this, and for those about the Coast Guard in WWII. My father served in the Coast Guard during the New Guinea and Leyte/Philippine campaigns, on PF52, the U.S.S. Allentown, a patrol frigate.
Thank you for your service!
I think we don't realize how amazingly lucky we got during the Cold War.
crimfan Bullshit. All these people that currently whine about taxes being too high, government being too big, and wanting more of their own money to spend are the boomers and descendants who idiotically gave up billions to build massive militaries that were never needed and never used. By the fifties the U.S. had enough missiles to deter any and all countries from any attacks on the U.S., which has been proven to be true to this day. The massive overspending on the military collapsed the Soviet Union, and diverted money in the U.S. away from tons of social good or even just lower taxes. Even today there is no need for all the aircraft carriers, Air Force squadrons, and ground forces of the U.S. The nuclear force alone is a major deterrent, and current levels of conventional arms are far beyond any mainland defensive needs. The Cold War was a TRAGEDY for being a massive waste of money and a theft from the citizens of the world. We dodged nothing.
Given that the Cuban Missile Crisis could well have escalated to full on nuclear war multiple times, along with a number of other potential close calls, I stand by what I said---we got amazingly lucky.
That doesn't take away from the fact that there was a whole lot of expensive and wasteful military spending, something Eisenhower himself identified in his 1961 Farewell Address. I don't think that "massive retaliation" was credible, though, but that's really a different issue.
Absolutely. "Amazingly lucky" isn't something you want to count on over and over.
crimfan, Tusconcoyote 501, I agree amazingly lucky, but we have the benefit of 20/20 hindsight. If we had liberated the Nazi death camps in 1945, experienced the horrors of the Eastern front, Omaha beach, Bataan, the Pacific islands and especially Hiroshima/Nagasaki, would we have been willing to take these risks? I think I would...
Editing for clarity - having experienced the horrors of WWII (or WWI) did our fathers and/or grandfathers think these risks were worth taking to avoid another European war? I think they weighed the risks and went all-in on nuclear defense.
Oh definitely, and I suspect they might well have been right given how likely a horrible conventional World War III would have been in, say, 1965. Nonetheless, I still think that we got lucky.
The amount of times things like this, or worse, happened and was down to a single person's decision, or the flip of a coin, during the Cold War is terrifying.
I was in a capsule when tv says president been shot. Then al Haig says " I'm in charge" less than a minute radio crackers " this is sac flying command disregard that we are in charge. So we got back to work like it's normal day 90' underground.
In this case it was Tim Griffis, a civilian fire inspector, who managed to shut off the fuel flow to the engine and extinguish the fire.
My father was 1 of the 5 lost on Jan. 27th 1983. Though I was 7 months old when this happened, I like stumbling on videos or information like this.
I was 3 months old and my father was first on scene. Small world.
In all that time, the B-52 has never done what it was designed to do. Let's hope it never will.
Jim Fortune amen to that!☦️
Aye aye!
History Guy - Wow...wind direction saved the day!!! Like New York Yankee skipper Casey Stengel said after Yankees down 12-0 in bottom of ninth rallying for 13 runs to win game. He stated "I'd rather be lucky than good any day"!! Great video...THANKS!!
Very good production quality, again. You're a history machine!
Sir your content is very well constructed, i enjoy every moment thank you0
Great job! You do excellent work, HG!
Another well-made, informative, and entertaining video.
Great video! Eric Schlosser’s book, “Command and Control” is terrifying and amazing. But mostly terrifying. 👍🏻
When this film is made Eric will dream of redoing his
Another incredible story that I did not know prior to today. You gave me yet another idea as a possible suggestion for a future story. Sandia National Laboratories. So many interesting everyday devices have come out of that lab. One of the quirkiest that comes to my mind is the timing switch originally designed for the nuclear bomb that they later used as the timing switch to detonate airbags in a car accident. I don't have a particular story idea in mind but there's certainly an incredible amount of history that could be plucked from there if you ever felt like looking into any of it. Anyway... thanks again for all the hard work you put into these; they really make my day.
That's a great idea. I always believe that New Mexico gets overlooked when it comes to history. It's amazing how much of the rest of the United States still doesn't realize that New Mexico is an American state. 🙄
@@catmac3577 In the east, New Mexico is known as "Arizona".
@@catmac3577 Not that amazing when you see the videos of americans pointing where to bomb iraq on a map of the states. Lol
I remember that night well because I was in one of the other alert B-52s. There are several errors in this video:
1-B-52 crews did not fly training missions while on alert. We did that on the other days on the 21-day cycle.
2-The aircraft was not starting engines to go flying. It was a routine ground exercise.
3-The AGM-69 SRAM launcher in the aft bomb bay held 8 missiles, not 12.
4-The fire fighter's attempt to extinguish the fire by shutting off the fuel from the cockpit failed. The fire stopped when all of the fuel in the #3 main tank had burned.
5-All of the bombers were parked on the more secure west side of the alert pad and thus had their tails into the wind. Except for a "Crested Dove" plane, I don't remember a B-52 ever being parked on the east side of the alert ramp.
6-There was very little national media coverage of the incident because two days later an ICBM caught fire and blew up in its silo in Arkansas.
7-The AGM-69 SRAMs were withdrawn from service in 1993 because the solid rocket fuel had aged to the point of unreliability. (I was a B-1B instructor and staff officer at the time, and the decision caused us a lot of extra work.)
You present these stories with such efficiency, interest, and zeal that my attention is completely captivated. Keep up with this wonderful work!
Your channel is without a doubt one of my favorites on You Tube. Always an interesting story.
i am glad I found this channel, it is an exceptionally accurate and interesting gem of a TH-cam channel, its always an interesting topic, and greatly ranging in time periods. You know how to make a video, keep the viewer entertained and informed, and videos are only 11 minutes or so on average. To me, that means even if you find a video uninteresting, you haven't wasted to much time. Keep it up!
I am enjoying all of your succinct gems of history. Thank you for doing this!
Thanks for doing this story, Lance. I was born in Grand Forks in 1963 and spent the better part of 18 years or so there. Can't say I miss it very much. Those winters were rough. Is strange looking back on my childhood and as you might guess, I was pretty oblivious to the things going on then. My sister married an Air Force guy from the airbase so I was aware of the things they did. This is one story, however, that I had never heard of.
I live 70 miles from Grand Forks. I don't remember hearing about this back then. Now the air Base is mostly a ghost town.
Me neither. I live 75 miles south of GFAFB. Not word about this in the only local newspaper, which is crappy at best.
It happens everyday in my head.
Wow - Love your show. Keep up the great work.
This channel is amazing, scripts are so well-written and organized.
In the episode I say there were twelve AGM-69 SRAM missiles on board. That number comes from an interview with Eric Schlosser, the author of Command and Control. A couple of viewers have pointed out that the internal load was only eight missiles. According to the Air Force description of a B-52, the bomber could carry up to twenty SRAM using the internal load and external pylons. Given that the Air Force has never released details of the incident, there is no definitive answer regarding how many missiles were on board. The only official confirmation that nuclear missiles were involved is the partially redacted transcript of the 1988 congressional hearing. The estimates of Dr. Batzel regarding the potential impact were, presumably, derived from the actual ordinance on the aircraft at the time of the incident.
The picture demonstrating the “Christmas tree” is Minot AFB, not Grand Forks. GFAFB had a single large pad, although aircraft were arranged in a Christmas tree formation.
The alert pad at GFAFB used to be a "Christmas Tree" but it was squared off sometime before 1978 when I got there. You could see the outline of the Christmas Tree when you flew over it, and you could also see the old edges when you walked across it.
The Buff could carry 20 SRAM. Eight on a rotating launcher in the weapons bay & six under each wing. It could have had 8 in the bomb bay along with 4 B28 gravity bombs.
@@markaustin643 Correct but the planes on alert at GF weren't parked in a "Christmas tree formation". They were pushed back straight and parallel to each other.
@@vitogulotta7193 None of the planes on alert carried SRAM on the wings, in fact we never loaded SRAM on the wings at GF.. Nothing was carried on the wings until we got the ALCM (AGM86)
I like your new slower delivery. It makes it easier to absorb the details.
Good content. The real deal, not a shammy piece of infographics nonsense. Appreciated.
Thank you!
And further, your presentation, research and choices of historical material truly make history interesting ,even "fun" That allows me and others a chance to learn ..
And learning is always good. Hopeful some of your stories can help prevent those nearly forgotten bits of history' accidents from repeating.
Again ..Thank you .
At 7:04 you see a machine called an Aero 47A Weapons Loader holding that missile. I was trained to operate one when in the Navy and the instructor told us, "You'll never see one of these because the Air Force got them all." Sure enough, that image is the first one I've seen since that day in 1971. Great channel - Be Cool.
This guy deserves so many more than 20k subscribers!
no
beefgoat
Why?? This story is BS.
May I have an elaboration for this response?
Just trolling.
He's doubled his subs to 40k in one month, so obviously many people agree with you, I am one of them and now support him on Patreon too. :)
sixstringedthing huzzah!
i like your style and, of course, rock solid facts. give us more!
I was living in Moorhead MN about an hour South when this happened. I am so glad I didn’t know this as a kid.
I ran this aircraft a couple of days before this incident. The aircraft was rolled out of bomber phase docks the day before the incident. The aircraft is required to be run at idle, which is 62% of full military power. All engines were run and leaked, check for possible fuel, and oil leaks. I shut down the engines in accordance with the engine run requirements. Signed all forms, both X' and /'s, and certified the aircraft good to go. The aircraft was cocked onto the alert pad the next day.
Because the engines weren't required to be run at full military power, there was not enough fuel pressure to blow out the mainline fuel filter. When the Claxton went of the numer 4 and 5 engine are cartriage start engines. Put the throttles to full military position for 4-5 engines blow the cartridge the engines spool up to full power then air start the othere six and your ready to roll. Because the number 5 engine was at full power, the main fuel line filter blew out due to an improperly installed fuel strainer. It was the first time crew chiefs in bomber phase docks did minor maintenance on the engines... This was a very scary event. Jim D.
Thank you for this detail! And thank you for your service.
I really enjoy your videos sir! You deserve more subscribers and likes
I keep expecting you to end with "and now you know...the REST...of the story." Thanks for these blips of history!
That would be Paul Harvey.............Good Day!
I cant stop watching your vids man I love how you explain it in a simple way so everybody can understand it.
My Dad was a fireman during that fire - JOHN SACHS - currently in Christiansburg VA - previously Grand Forks ND - It may be so important to get first hand accounts of this from him and his buddies. He's on Facebook.
I was there for both, hard times to remember.
Myself and three other Airmen were in a shallow grave 100 yards from that fucking burning plane there’s no history of us never mentioned. everybody else was cleared to # 2000 feet are beyond I watched farmers chase horses out of corrals, carry their loved ones in blankets and shove them into trucks and drove away from this hell no one has ever mentioned us you might want to check your history again there’s no mention of the Alert Fire Team that stayed behind to report what happens and to protect the area from on-lookers. AF they snapped a bunch of pictures of this broken arrow but when I claimed ptsd in 1994 OSI broke into my home demanding my copy of the Grand Forks Herald 9/17/1980 Front page because they’re Embarrassed because 2-flight crews abandon their KC 135‘s and a couple SP’s ran for the hills because of their dereliction of duty/ their Desertion of posts I & other SP’s were ordered to end their lives! you may think it’s unique or exciting or fun to read but I lived it nobody’s ever asked
keep up the great work!
Thanks for sharing the video.
I absolutely love the obscure events you cover
Interesting video, thanks for posting. Just discovered your channel and I'm glad I did! Looking forward to more!
I love history to,very much !! thanks you sir are very good it i think the best ever !
I recently heard that during Battle of Stalingrad, the Germans had 104 panzer tanks parked in reserve on a field. When it came time to attack only 20 some tanks would start. Why? Because field mice were eating some of the wiring during their inactivity. Talk about some seemingly insignificant having a real effect.....
@Viking Power you may consider editing this again. You should change German to nazi. As not all nazis were German. Also horror to hilarious. Because fuck nazis.
@@killerkitty8058 Seriously? What is wrong with you.
@@mrblack888 Not sure what you mean? Yes seriously fuck nazis.
@@killerkitty8058 Not all Germans on the eastern front (or elsewhere) were nazis. A lot were just kids/young men who thought (wrongly, of course) that they were serving their country, or didn't want to be there at all. Just one bit of anecdotal, unverified info, but I was once talking to a guy who, as a young man, had been on the eastern front. According to him (and I believe it), if you didn't follow an order you weren't arrested, sent to the guard house, court-martialed, you were summarily shot.
@@michaelcharlesmiller I find that hard to believe. Not even the Japanese would just kill you outright for stepping out of line.
Best channel, amazing quality & content, and your delivery is dynamic!
Great stories in time. better than any podcast online.
I was a B-52H Crew Chief at Minot AFB, ND in the early 90's. There was a story then that a B-52 had burned on our ramp before I was there. Perhaps it was actually one of the two that happened at Grand Forks AFB and the story got bastardized through the years. It's scary to think how many times we've come close to having our own Chernobyl.
TJ Rohyans I was in the 319th back in 1984. We had G-models then. As I recall the story of the one exploding on the ramp, during routine fueling/de-fueling for maintenance, a circuit breaker for a fuel transfer pump kept popping. The story then was someone reset the breaker and that initiated a spark and fuel tank vapors ignited. I have no idea if that story is true.
That's the story I heard, but I was told it was at Minot, though I don't think that's true now. I also remember that one exploded at Depot Maintenance in San Antonio while I was in BMTS in '89. That one was during a refuel/defuel too.
TJ Rohyans it was definitely GFAFB. I was in the ECM/EW shop of the 319th AMS. Our new dorms were named Salva Hall, after of of the victims. Tragic accident...
@@EsotericSoul I was there that day it is very true. I lost friends on board that aircraft. I was outside when it when up. I was in the 319th AMS.
@@sullysrun7706 were you in the fire dept or on maintenance crew?
It is a great comfort to me to know that we now have "safe" Thermonuclear Warheads instead of dangerous Thermonuclear Warheads.
I've gotten addicted to this guy lol
Great videos. I’ve watched a few now and am never disappointed sir. Thank you
So many times both the US and USSR got so ridiculously lucky.
and, therefore, potentially, the rest of the world.
God won't let it happen until its time to happen...
I'm so glad that I found your channel. My favorite stupid little incidents that changed world history are the crazy lady that wrecked the bar that her lousy husband was spending his evenings in. The other is the day that an actor who was a confederate sympathizer stopped by Ford's Theatre to get his mail after breaking up with his fiancee. Had he got his mail first then he wouldn't have known that the President would be at the attending the play that evening.
I was never one to enjoy history class but you are one whom makes it interesting, enjoying every video you have made!
Thank you sir. Another interesting topic. I love how you can add a small bit of humor into your videos. Just at the right time and place
HE may be The History Guy, but WE were almost history too!
And three days later we blew up a titan II Missile in Damascus Arkansas. Those Cold War era weapons were dangerous, yet awe inspiring
John Owen yup- talked about that here: th-cam.com/video/jDcog2ZP684/w-d-xo.html
Yes, we said (I was at GFAFB then) we didn’t allow Jimmy Carter much sleep that week.
Whoa! I didn't realize they were the close together 🤯
Great work. I really enjoyed this. I'll watch ALL of your vids.
Found you today. I love history, also. Really, what makes history so very interesting is the smaller occurrences that show the bigger picture. Thank you.
I really enjoyed this one.even thought I love all military history I have a fondness for aircraft history. A recommendation for you.the alameda naval base had an accident years ago when an a7 corsair crashed into an apartment building. I've studied some of the history of it. Perhaps you can do a video of it.not all history is glorious I guess. Thanks again
Thanks👍
So many good historical stories in this series of videos, worth its weight&then some in gold&books!
You are amazing, inspirational, and articulate. Thank-you for bringing history to life and to my life!
Interesting story--a kind of the "rest of the story." I was stationed at Grand Forks AFB and lived on the base (1980-1984). I was a Minuteman III ICBM launch officer (321 SMW, 446SMS). We didn't hear about the first B-52 fire until the next day--so the History Guy is correct--no notice to evacuate the base. The second B-52, as we were going on alert to the missile fields, was thought to have crashed during a minimum interval take off--found out the real cause when we go to the launch control center.
Thank you for your service!
You know. It's interesting. I was with the 742 SMS at Minot from '81-'85 and I didn't know about this until I saw the video. They never said a word to us about it. Probably because it involved the bomb wing. But you would think there would be generic nuclear safety issues involved.
carl jacobs thank you for your service! It was in local papers, but not highlighted much. Much of the detail did not come out until the congressional hearing years later.
I was stationed at Grand Forks from 1983 to 1986. I arrived there in October, and the bombers assigned there were not “H” models, they were “G” models, an older version.
I was a B-52 crew member at GFAFB from 1978 to 1982. The H models were replaced with G models in 1982 as cruise missiles came into the inventory.
Wow, what a fascinating video! Thank you so much!
LOVE IT! What a great story and yet, I have never heard of this incident before today.
Extremely well done! Please do one on the B-52 that actually dropped a unarmed nuclear bomb that created a crater in some east coast state that filled up with water and it's now a perfect circular pond.
Once again, KUDOS!
Excellent series. Obscure historical facts presented in a very entertaining format.
Nice coverage job.
Great video! Just one correction- at 10:39 you say "No one has ever died from an accidental explosion of an American nuclear weapon". Senior Airman David Livingston died in the 1980 Titan II explosion. He was a brave man and a Hero.
Just not on an airplane...Technicality, I know..
Maybe because technically, it was the missile itself that exploded, not any part of the warhead?
The nuclear weapon did not explode or “cook off” in that event, but was blow clear by the explosion of the missile.
The nuclear weapon in Damascus did not explode. Livingston- who is certainly a hero- died as the result of a missile explosion, not a bomb explosion. Several more have died from similar events.
If the 7-9 MT W53 warhead in the Titan II had gone off there would have been a few more deaths than one senior airman.
How about some history on John Erickson, inventor of the Monitor, and then some history on the "Monitor" class boats that followed the original. I've always liked that era of naval history.
Ericsson was a true genius. I have not done a full episode on him, but discuss him in some depth here: th-cam.com/video/EsqhAJyit1M/w-d-xo.html
I've just discovered your channel and have watched two videos back to back. It's amazing to learn something new about history. I have now subscribed to your channel. Keep up the good work.
Yet another great story I have never heard until now. I love this channel.
I've been loving the nuclear mishap stories. Keep em coming!
I don't want to become the nuclear mishap channel, but there is a lot of history there that deserves to be remembered.
History Guy one more lost caveat about 9/16/1980 Fire. I was given a Direct Order by my superiors; The Use of Deadly Force to help Motivate any air-crews not cooperating with Security Instructions. I wrestle with this order, everyday .
John Geibel They gave you a Licence to Kill so to speak. Interesting that there were no Officers on hand to help control the situation.
Here’s some more of the story: behind every Bomber there were erected metal ‘ Exhaust Blast Shields ‘ (to direct the exhaust upward away from the crew quarters behind), there were picnic web-chairs for when those bombers DID take off for their intended targets. Those chairs were for the Guards so they can sit down and watch the enemies warheads drop out of the sky. Lest I forget: we ALL carried an ‘Extra’ round in our boots, just in case we didn’t want to feel what it’s like to be “ Incinerated”!
Mark Fryer there were officers on hand they were the ones we were ordered to shoot and kill if they didn’t get their KC135’s out of the Alert area ASAP
Fascinating story, one of many associated to our "issues" with Nukes. Add this to the ones we accidentally lost :) those stories are history worth remembering as well. Thank you for sharing sir.
Again, an interesting yet sobering story of how close we have come. Just wow. Keep them coming please. Your presentation is addictive.
Lovin' every one of these segments! More - more - more!
Not all SAC alert parks were Christmas trees. Had the fuselage caught it takes 33seconds to be consumed. I witness to a B-52G going up.
Thank you for your service.
In Fact, I don't think, from the photograph of the base, that Grand Forks had a Christmas Tree- but the bombers did appear to be parked at the same angles.
Thanks for the information about how quickly the fuselage would burn. The speed at which the fuselage was consumed in the 1983 accident is consistent with that. it makes it awfully difficult to believe the Air Force claim that they could have prevented the fire from burning the fuselage had the wind blown it that direction.
Had the wind shifted they might have only because they were there pumping foam. In our case the LOX service was grounded it went up. Basically the fire dept. save the cellar hole. There were 8 J57s and 4 trucs sticking up. The skin has a high magnesium content so it is like a flare. Odd number of AGM-69s (one of my weapon systems) usually did fly or go on alert with pylons loaded (12 total) and there is only 8 on the rotary launcher.
Grand Forks did indeed have a Christmas Tree. I know because I sat alert on it from '82 to '86 while assigned to the 905th Air Refueling Sq... The alert pad was on the southwest part of the base on the west side of the runway. The main parking ramp was on the other side of the runway (as was the rest of the base), which is where the '83 incident that was mentioned toward the end of the video occurred. It had just returned from a night training mission, so it definitely did not have nukes onboard...
As I've thought about it, the Grand Forks alert ramp was not a true Christmas Tree. The aircraft were parked at the same angle, with the bombers facing the tankers. There was one taxiway (called the throat) that entered the runway at an angle. It had a similar appearance (when viewed from above) to a true Christmas Tree.
@@paulwatters9225 I also pulled alert at Grand Forks from '83 to' 86 as a KC-135A crew chief assigned to the 319th OMS. I remember the alert parking ramp being located as you describe on the southwest corner of runway 35. But the ramp was a big rectangle with the 5 alert bombers parked in the first 5 spots on the northwest corner of the ramp next to the throat. The 10 tankers were parked in the remaining spots around the perimeter of the alert ramp. All of the aircraft facing inward to the center of the ramp. The main alert facility (mole hole) was just off the northeast corner of the ramp across from the buffs. Then there were 2 or 3 "mods" located behind the blast fences on the west side of ramp that housed additional crews because there wasn't enough space for them in the main building.
Holy crap! My uncle was on fire duty that day. He told me the story, he said it was loaded with bombs, made no mention of "nukes". Apparently he still can't talk about that.
Don't worry My Dad was the Pilot of that B52 he only remembers some things but doesn't talk about it much either. He only says it was a fire he turned off the engines. That's it.
All of this info we are all sharing is good to talk about
American Freedom-Fighter email me @ jgeibel60@gmail.com
Average person that deals with anything classified for the US military just assumes when they will be able to talk about it is "never". Things only go from classified to declassified by explicit action, there is no sunset mechanism. So, 90% of classified material you get exposed to will never have any reason to be declassified and therefore will stay classified forever.
Trabber Shir so True
I live 3 miles south of the GFAFB! Never knew this “history that deserves to be remembered” Thanks History Guy!
Always Entertaining and Informative