1964 Bunker Hill AFB B-58 Accident
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ก.ย. 2024
- The Indianapolis Star wrote on December 13, 2018: “Most people know nothing about Indiana's nuclear bomb incident." The term “Cold war” sometimes belies that fact that that war produced very real casualties.
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I lived at Bunker Hill AFB when a B58 accident happened; I was about 5 years old. My dad, who was stationed there later told me a B58 landing gear collapsed and one of the crew ejected at ground level and died. My dad was a navigator aboard the KC135 tankers at the time. They refueled the B58 and even got 8mm home movies taken from the boom operators window. He later transferred from SAC to MAC during the Vietnam war and served aboard C133 Cargo Masters (weenie wagon) and finally C141 Star Lifters before retiring in 1973 while at Travis AFB in northern Calfornia. He passed away April 26, 2020 at the age of 90. My mother survives him at 91 at present and has many fond memories of the Air Force years.
thats the same thing my friend told me the 58 ran off the runway and the gear broke
👍🇺🇲
Thank you for sharing.
❤️👍
Thank You for what your family did❤
Thank you for your father’s service to our country.
Anyone traveling near north central Indiana be sure to drop by the Grissom Air Museum (formerly bunker hill afb) and see a great collection of cold war aircraft including a B-58 Hustler as mentioned in this episode. Thanks History Guy for shining a light on this little known incident.
Also an A-4 Skyhawk, and an F-14 Tomcat. Since Bunker Hill was originally a Naval Air Station.
I did. 👍
Thanks for sharing that. I've lived 25 miles from Grissom my whole life and never knew.@@kdrapertrucker
I live by and take my brother to the VA clinic there! Lots of neat looking planes!
My husband was 8 yrs old when this happened! He lived in Logansport!
I was stationed at Grissom in the 80’s. I had no idea this incident happened. Ironically, I worked in a calibration lab and calibrated radiation detection equipment. I also was required to do weekly “FOD” walks on the runway. Interesting how close i was to history, yet only learned about it all these years later.
I was at Grissom as well 1984 through 1988.My shop was located in the fire station and I was told about this but did not get any details
my dad lived down the road and I asked him about it and he didn't know either! they didn't tell things like they do now.
Wow! That is a very interesting part of your service - radiological science re: acceptable exposure to such was from a different era...
One of my tenants was a Korean War era air force vet- he started in 'silverplate' B-29 strategic bombers: he told me that he (and the rest of the enlisted crew) would sleep on the trolley which connected the unpressurized parts of the forward and rear parts of those planes: he said that he used to take naps while flying to bombing missions!
How Many people could actually say that they slept above first-generation nuclear bearths? ...my pal ('Lance) rarely spoke of his experiences- ;the same goes for my (other) grandfather who served in the 442nd RCT in Italy and France...
What an epic story... I think I ought to collate such information and the general level of postwar HAPA population...
Some time, maybe. Cheers!
The radioactive contaminated soil around the crash site was buried right at the crash site. It was well marked on base maps with a warning stating that you could not stand there more than 15 minutes. It became an issue when the runway was shutdown for rebuilding in 1983. I didn't know this until we were called out there the photograph the location & I happened to see the map the officer was holding. He told me this was the location of the accident & the reason for the limited access. A little disturbing to be standing on ground contaminated with Plutonium.
I was stationed there from 78 to 80, and again from 84 to 93. I was a crew chief on the tankers. Loved it there. The B-58 on display, rotated the front end off the ground, during one bad storm. Some genius decided to fill the nose gear tires, and front of the aircraft with concrete. The concrete ate thru the skin, and the nose wheels collapsed, due to severe corrosion.
I served in the military in the 70s during the "Cold War" . Thank you for the nod, most Americans don't know how really dangerous it was. In the four years I served I either knew somebody or knew of people involved in a dozen or more deaths and that wasn't even accidents. The military is an inherently dangerous occupation and each of us signed a blank check when we enlisted which could be filled out by the US government for up to, and including our lives.
Thinking of Harvey, Nate and Speedy, 2/58 infantry, 2nd AD
As one who served in the Air Force during the Cold War I was all too aware of the casualties that we incurred, either by accident or during operations. Respect to the memory of those lives lost.
@Ben Jones There is a documentary about Robert Ballard that goes into some detail about this incident.
He was a Navy Bomb Damage Assessment expert who surveyed the wreckage of both the USS Thresher and the USS Scorpion under the guise of developing a deep sea rescue vehicle for the navy.
He also located the Titanic.
THANK YOU for your service brother!!
@Ben Jones I remember that. My Dad (retired USN, Pearl Harbor Survivor) was the Chief Refr on an MSTS ship and they were coming back from a European run and assisted in the search efforts with other Navy ships. I had orders for Vietnam to report at the end of June, so I was anxious to see him before I left. His ship got in 2 days late so me and the family were able to meet up with him. Thanks for the additional details. I recall some theories as to why it sank, including a Soviet sub attacked it. Maybe that's why the Navy won't release the reason why and how it sank. Cheers, Bob
@Ben Jones Woe! By the year 3000, everybody alive today will be dead! A lot of good the information on the USS Scorpion will do then. How 'bout the Navy releasing all the information whilst the relatives of the deceased are still alive? 🧐
My dad used to fly a KC135, and he loved it. Many years after his plane had been mothballed, he took me to see it. I remember how proud and sad he was to look at the plane again.
Was it at one of the moth ball facilities in Arizona?
KC-135?
@@smark1180 sorry for the typo, and thanks for pointing it out to me. I wrote it on my phone, and sometimes Google "corrects" things for me, whether I want them to or not.
@@vlmellody51 Understood
@@smark1180 KC135 is right Mark
Tanker version and cargo version. It was commercial Boeing 707 passenger plane. With shortened fuselage and beefed up for military. I was assigned to Looking glass airborne command post at barksdale. It was KC135. Tanker full of electronic equipment. And communication gear. I flew on it as Crypto man. Maintenance .
The nickname for the old 707 and 135 was Homesick Angel.. A work horse...Tankers were at Grissom for a long time.
As a Cold War Veteran, I agree that there were a great many casualties. These men and women deserve to be remembered!
Indeed,Losses were expected especially for the big NATO exercises.. Like Reforger 88
Imagine 125000 folks on the move for military exercices.. They knew up front a bunch of accidents would happen and xx fatalities would occur.
Thank you history guy. One of my aviation mentors, Capt. Bill Hale was part of the 305th at Bunker Hill. In april 1962 Bill experienced an un-commanded roll seconds after take off and called for an ejection. He lost one of his crewmen which bothered him the rest of his life. The B-58 was a fascinating aircraft to me as a young man and later in my adult life meeting Bill and flying with him I had plenty of B-58 questions. I later found out after Bill passed that he was the highest time B-58 pilot in the Air Force.
my friend bob olsen was with the 305th from 1963 to 1966
Sorry to hear that Captain Bill Hale lost one of his crewmen. A lot of times the Pilots were the first ones to arrive at the scene of the crash, that is, until you add Navigators to the crew list. Then, they are most likely the ones to die. 🧐
I lived in upstate NY when I was very young. I was out in the yard and looked up to see one doing a low-level run. It was headed into Rome Air Force It was a sight that is hard to forget. You could just see the crew. It had to be less that 500 feet. It was beautiful to see.
You might have seen my Dad! He was a B-58 pilot out of Bunker Hill AFB. It was a sight to see!
For those looking for the B-58 Hustler connection to John Denver’s dad, here it is: Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (aka John Denver) was born on December 31, 1943, in Roswell, New Mexico, to Captain Henry John "Dutch" Deutschendorf Sr. (1920-1982), a United States Army Air Forces pilot stationed at Roswell Army Air Field, and his wife, Erma Louise. RIP to the Father and son…both pilots.
It's ironic, to say the least, that this fire that killed these brave men happened on a base named after another brave man who died from fire. Thank you for this story and for telling all of these stories that need to be remembered.
My dad was a pilot stationed at Lincoln AFB Nebraska in the early 1960s. For a while at night we were getting sonic booms so loud plates would clatter in the hutch. The word was that they were B-58s out of Indiana heading west on simulated target runs. There was a lot of action at midwestern bases back then and it was fun to watch as a kid.
As a child growing up in the mid 60's and 70's I had a model of the B58 Hustler and loved showing it off to my friends who were impressed by this beautiful styled but sinister profile of this first super sonic bomber. Today finding out of the young men who's lives were taken testing and flying this craft greatly saddens me. May they all rest in peace.
I was 5 years old and my dad was a B-58 Assistant Crew Chief at Bunker Hill. He was one of many young airmen who had to go out and clean up the accidents. I remember my mom putting his boots on the back porch ad hosing them off to get the fire fighting foam off of them. This no doubt imparted some PTSD in my Dad. He later related to me (many years later) that he was one of the men detailed to recover Captain Cervantes from the crashed pod. Dad said the hardest part was that he found pictures of the Captain's family in the remains of the pod along with his wallet.
The B58 was a beautiful man eater. The Cold War made it possible to build such a beast. Sadly, we're heading that way again because of one man's ego.
Good post, but it's more than one man's ego that's causing the problems
What or who's ""one man's ego" are you talking or commenting about? I'd like to know. Thank you.
@@garyreams8123 , a certain authoritarian despot whose initials are V.P.
That foam is under investigation and everyone be they veteran or firefighter who came in contact with it should so report. For example it accidentally flooded the hangar where I worked (Building 1200 at Shaw AFB) twice. Military toxic exposure is history that deserves to be remembered because it kills, maims, poisons and debilitates. (The toxic ground water around many bases is a notable public health hazard costing billions to somewhat mitigate.)
There are presently law firms that are handling Class Action Lawsuits for those having been exposed.
I'm reminded of the quote from _The Hunt for Red October:_ "A war with no battles, no monuments... only casualties."
I grew up 10 miles away from Bunker Hill AFB. There were several mishaps during the 58's service as I recall as a boy.
My dad would mention that this bird had the flight characteristics of a steam iron below supersonic speed. Ir also required about 12 hours of maintenance for
every hour of flight time. After retirement, scrappers discovered how much they liked these birds. The rear aileron was filled with 300 lbs. of pure silver solder.
Convair devised and pushed all the known limitations with their creation, and it still stands today, an icon and work of art.
I currently work at Grissom ARB and have been to the exact incident location out on the active runway. I had heard about it before and was curious, so I nailed down the exact position of the incident and checked it out when I was working out on the runway. Today the location where they buried the bombs is completely untraceable and you would have never be able to guess the location’s history unless somebody were to tell you. The woods where they buried the B-58 in question also no longer exists as it was territory renovated for the new buildings when Grissom was converted to a reserve base. There still are / were a lot of other things buried around the base though, from the old landfill to whole excavator trucks.
Yes, my grandfather worked on the base from when the Navy built it in 1942 until he retired in 1970, he was a caretaker on the base after WWII. He always told stories of things, this plane even, being buried on the base, but we didn't believe him. Guess he really was telling the truth. 🙂
I used to work out there at Grissom until I retired this past spring. I was also informed about that accident, but as you noted, radiation is untraceable. Not enough there to get a good x-ray done according to the person who told me about it. But I had no idea excavator trucks were buried out there! And the old landfill, isn't that where the civil engineering complex now resides? Been many folks in that building who've contracted cancer.
I was a missile maintenance technician for the Titan II weapon system. I was a Staff Sergeant at Little Rock AFB when the explosion at 374-7 occurred. You previously did a video on that accident. I was not at the site when the explosion occurred but was at the base awaiting orders. I was however part of the team that, along with another MMT and EOD personnel, made the warhead safe for transport. There were many unknowns about the condition of the warhead and it was the most stressful day of my nearly eight year career as an MMT. The SAC policy was to neither confirm nor deny the existence of a nuclear weapon and we performed our job and went home without any fanfare. During my service at LRAFB I lost two friends. While not a hot war with many casualties, the Cold War left some of my friends and me with memories of close calls to this day, I am 67 years old.
Hey Bryan, there are really no words to express how much we appreciate your dedication, bravery and service but please know your service hasn’t and will not be forgotten. A heartfelt thank you to you and your fellow servicemen and servicewomen. Peace.
@@keepingitreal6793 Thank you
My older brother was an engine mech for the B-58 at LRAFB. He took me there one weekend, and I was allowed to see the J79s they were working on. The plane was absolutely beautiful.
John Denver's father Lieutenant Colonel Henry J. Deutschendorf Sr. was a B-58 pilot and held several speed records. An amazing aircraft, that pushed technology to the limit that is still amazing today.
Indeed. The Hustler was an incredible feat of engineering for the mid-1950's.
I worked for John for years up to his untimely death in that dang experimental rig. He had some interesting stories about his dad that were echoed by an old flight line guy from Syracuse I met that had worked the Berlin airlift with the old man.
Contrary to Urban Legend,John Denver wasn't a bad ass Special Forces sniper in Vietnam with fifty confirmed kills.
Cool anecdote about John Denver's family. Every one then did their share.
@@jkaugust3586 Except it wasn't true!!John Denver served in the military!!
He lost a toe in an accident,so he was physically disqualified from military duty.
Nor was Fred Rogers ever in the military Urban Legend to the contrary!!
Yet another extraordinarily interesting and informative production. I believe you are the best teacher that I've ever had! I thank you and all those who help and support you! 💯⭐️😍
Very much agree. Great history instructor! FYI. There's a 1950s/60s movie, Fail Safe. With Henry Fonda. A fictional what if scenario of SAC bombers getting a false go order. A real make you think movie. Also a to find book I read several times in grade school called, Thirty Seconds Over New York! Don't remember the author. But the movie follows the book to a-T. A good read. Was one of those, a matter of interest books that the politically correct institutions cleaned out of their libraries and sold off years back. A few can still be found. By the way, The book and the movie focuses on the training and capability of the SAC B-58 bomber crews.
My Dad, MAJ William G Harris was a B-58 pilot who flew out of Bunker Hill AFB. I am very proud of him. It was a stressful time, worrying every time he flew. Still, an amazing time. I was there from 6th grade and up through my freshman year in high school at Maconaquah High. I remember asking my older brother why Dad was on Alert so often and why they were in such a hurry to get the planes off of the ground. He obliged by telling me that the base was a primary target in the case of a real war and they had to get them off the ground and into the air before the base got nuked. I quit asking questions after that…😮
I was Stationed at Grissom in 1969 just before my orders came in for SEA.
I visited a Barbershop Quartet chorus while there.
The night I visited I met a Major at the end of practice. A Very nice Guy.
As we exited we talked, and as it turned out we both were stationed At Grissom.
I learned he was a Major and flew B58's. First Major, I ever spoke to. He could not have been easier to speak with.
I understood how dangerous the B-58 was. I asked him why he flew this Aircraft?
He answered in a very similar way. My family is here, and if this Aircraft's mission
deters an attack, then my family will be there when I get back. If it fails, then there is nothing going be there to go back to.
I don't remember the Major's Name, but he gave me a very clear understanding
of professionalism, selflessness, and purpose.
I am grateful for that chance encounter. It gave me exactly what I needed then,
and have used since. Selfless purpose. Great way to begin an Enlistment. 2 tours SEA.
On that date in 1964 I was 7 years old and lived about 10 miles from Bunker Hill AFB in Kokomo. I had never heard this story before. I DO recall hearing lots of sonic booms while we lived in Kokomo and hearing my father, who was at the time an Air Force Reserve officer, talk about the bombers at the base. Very cool story! Thanks for the great content!
"Broken Arrow" was what I always heard during my 20-year Navy career...but was always used in a practice response, fortunately.
I was stationed at Grissom in the mid 80's and never knew of this mishap. Thank you for remembering this piece of Cold War history.
FWIW: I was born & raised in Florida, but I have been living in northeastern North Carolina since 1995.
This video reminded me of something. It was not too many years ago, while living here in NC, that I FIRST learned of the _*Broken Arrow_"_ incident near SEYMOUR JOHNSON AFB in early 1961. A B-52 broke up in flight, ejecting two H-bombs which landed in and beneath a farmer's field near Goldsboro, NC. Even more amazing is some bits of the bomb that buried itself in the ground ARE {supposedly} STILL IN THE GROUND.
While flying B-52Ds at Carswell, in the 70s, my tennis partner was a retired Colonel, Nav/RN, who had the distinction of bailing out of a B-36, B-52, and a B-58. I wish I could remember his name.
Good Morning THG and fellow students. Happy Hump Day.
Congratulations grandpa! Becoming a grandparent is our reward for being a good parent.
I am really rewarded,7 grandkids!!!!!
I was flying from NAS Millington (Tn) to NAS Glenview with Capt. Leroy Berkabile, USN in a T-33 in April of 1964, when we hit terrible weather, CAT, and poor visual conditions. In trying to dodge the worst of the weather, we drifted into restricted airspace near Bunker Hill SAC base. We were challenged by one of their fighters and forced to land there. They made us stop on the active runway and exit the aircraft in the driving rain. By the time we were placed in a van we were soaked to the bone. The interrogation lasted for over an hour ! I guess those base commanders do live in constant fear of a sneak inspection. That's an experience no one would expect-nor ever forget !
Jimmy Stewart, the actor in "Its a Wonderful Life" and "Rear Window" has a tie to the B-58. He entered the Army as a private before Pearl Harbor, his skill as a civilian pilot earned him a commission, and he flew 25 combat missions as a B-24 pilot. He holds the Army record for fastest climb from private to full Colonel (4 years). As an Air Force Reserve General, he flew and landed a B-58, something which, as this video points out, only the very best Air Force pilots ever did.
I worked at GD/Ft Worth from mid '75 to Jan '77. One day at lunch some guys grabbed me to go watch a B-58 movie. It began with a Hustler taxiing up, stopping, the three hatches popping open and an air stair/scaffold rolled up to the side of tbe plane. When the pilot stood up he seemed kind of tall - and then he took off his helmut. Yep, Brigadier General James Stewart. (to become major general in retirement).
Jimmy Stewart had one (1) "orientation" flight in the second seat of a TB-58, which has dual controls. Stewart got some stick time, but he was not a rated B-58 pilot.
@@dukeford8893 Sorry, but the video I saw had him standing up from the front seat. Now, could it have been staged? Perhaps, but not likely. That would not be in his character to portray himself as something he was not.
@@dougball328 Staged for the promo film. That's Hollywood. What do you think he was doing in the film "Strategic Air Command"? They had him flying a B-36, and functioning as an aircraft commander in the B-47. Stewart was qualified on the B-47 and the B-52 as a 1st Officer (co-pilot). He was not a qualified aircraft commander in either aircraft, much less the B-58.
Thank you history guy for that last point. I was Air Force security police during the Cold War served in strategic air command in Montana. We lost a lot of good men in that 45 years. I hope someday it is acknowledged And recognized just how important our jobs and strategic air command was to the American people and the sacrifices that men made so that everyone in America could go to sleep every night and worry about insignificant things like pop culture. Thank you and God bless you I love your channel
Thank you for your service. I have lived in Helena since 1962(I'm 81), and have been to Great Falls many times. I always thank those men and women at that base for the protection they give me and my family.
Thank you for service brother. Without men and women like you I may have never reached adulthood and had the chance to serve. I remember practicing nuke attacks by going to the basement in the school and putting my head basically between my legs. Looking back, it was only a Feel Good drill. Not going to help much.🇺🇸👍
@@diaperjoeisaped1723 Pretty much that’s all those drills were good for. I spent many a day in every season guarding missile sites when the electronic security went down. Also working the flight line with the tankers on alert status. Anytime you heard the Klaxons go off you didn’t know if it was real or just another alert. Then when they took off you really were hoping it was just an alert.
Ah, good ole malmstrom. The locals in Great Falls be crazy yo
81150 here. 80-87. Last base was FE Warren
I remember back in 1964 going as a kid with my father to the military section of Chicago's O'Hare Field to see a display of USAF aircraft. One of the planes there was a Convair B-58A "Hustler" (which probably came from then Bunker HIll AFB). Got to watch it fire up its four GE engines and takeoff with all four afterburners aflame. For a six-year-old kid, it was "really neat!"
When I was a kid, there was an annual airshow at MKE airport, and a B-58 was always there (until they retired).
I wish I had gone to watch them leaving after the show was over.
I always think of the movie "Fail Safe".
As a 19-year-old kid in 1966, a load crew member loading nuclear weapons at Bunker Hill AFB on the B-58, I can tell you it was a "really neat" time of my life!
@@delhenry9837 Cool!
I was a cadet at Culver Military Academy, Culver, IN when this happened. We just thought it was a tragic plane crash. Didn’t know about the nuclear weapons on board at the time. I can remember standing in formation oblivious to what was coming our way until one sensed a ‘flash’ of a shadow passing overhead soon followed by the roar of one of these bombers. Beautiful sight! Definitely awe inspiring.
B-58 Hustler is by far the sexiest plane every built. There is a great youtube video on a low level training mission from Ft Worth to California at super sonic speed that is worth watching. Thanks THG for this remembrance and also that the cold war was not as cold as portrayed.
It was at high Mach, not supersonic.
My dad was an USAF aircraft mechanic and briefly worked on B-58's in the mid 60's. Hated them with a passion. Landing speed was high, so it wasn't uncommon to pop a couple of tires on a landing. Also said there was 40 hours of maintenance required for every hour in the air.
12" main gear rims. I had a '78 Ford Fiesta with same size wheels. They're small. Imagine spinning up instantly to 150+ knots under high pressure.
Congrats on your new baby Granddaughter & thank you for another great look into history. I had a big, beautiful picture of this jet flying through the air surrounded by clouds that came from an Air Force commanders office of that era.' Sadly I left it on the wall after my last move.
I appreciate your research and how you credit sources.
I lived in Northern Indiana during the time that the B-58 was operational at Bunker Hill. I remember seeing their low-level flights over my house.
Later in 1970 while I was training in the T 38, I flew a cross-country flight to Grissom. My parents and friends were able to witness my high-performance takeoff. This was as close to a B-58 afterburner takeoff as I could make. It was a small tribute to the recently removed B-58s.
A few years later in 1972, I flew 135 combat missions over Laos at a much slower airspeed than the revered B58 of my youth.
Thanks for the great summary of the B-58.
I seem to remember that the B-58 was one of the aircraft that led to the development of the 0/0 ejection seat, a seat that can be fired at zero altitude and zero forward speed and still have enough oomph to get high enough to allow the chute to deploy. 0/0 ejection seats have saved a lot of crew lives over the year.
Doubtful, since Martin-Baker developed the first zero-zero seat in 1961. The B-58 "bobsled" seat was designed by Stanley and was never a zero-zero seat.
I served with Tom Kelly at Grissom in the late ‘70s in the 305th Security Police Squadron. Every time you drove in the main gate, there was no missing the B-58 on static display- now part of the museum. Coincidentally, I later served on a larger team tasked to respond to radiological accidents involving Air Force weapons - just like this one. What great memories; thanks for taking me back!
Hoosier Boulevard! The SP gate house is gone now. I recall when the E-4 Doomsday plane got stationed at GUS, SAC Security got even tighter! " Can Do!"
I had a plastic bath-toy Hustler when I was little. I thought it was the coolest airplane ever and decided that when I grew up I would fly one. No such luck - eventually I was commissioned as an officer in the Navy and spent my time as a ship-driver. But the B-58 was an amazing aircraft.
My late uncle Bill Zujewski, was a crew chief on a B-58 at Grissom during the period described. He was allowed to show us his aircraft in a maintenance hanger, as my father was in the Air Corps during WWII. I was about 4 years old, but was placed in the cockpit briefly, as well as allowed to sit in the boom operators refueling station of a KC-135. Great memories.
Thanks for providing a chance to revisit them.
THG as a pilot: " Ladies and gentlemen we have had a failure and are about to crash in the side of a mountain. But that reminds me of _________ reminds me of an incident in history that deserves to be remembered."
Point being there is no better way to go than listening to THG give a history lesson.
"This crash will be history that deserves to be remembered."
I knew a person who was involved in the building of the prison there and I believe that project was the one that was underway when they found the wreck. It stopped the project for a time while the government came in and cleaned it up. Good story.
I knew a B-58 pilot. He said 50% of the flights ended in an emergency. One time he was taxying and looked down and could see the runway through the floor. I also remember that record breaking flight. I lived in Anchorage at the time. We heard an explosion an ran to the neighbors, who were running to us. It turnout that it was the B-58 breaking the sound barrier 400 miles north near Fairbanks.
The Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona has a Hustler. Even today it looks modern and fast. A true thing of beauty.
Thanks for this highly detailed account of not only the accident but also the history of the Hustler. I'm retired Air Force, served from 1965 to 2000 and never knew the background of this accident. Cheers, Bob Powell, CMSgt, USAF(Ret).
Thank you for the lesson.
Carswell AFB has been renamed to Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base.
The runway area is named Carswell field.
I worked for a contractor at the base for the Texas Air National Guard.
Radney Foster's Angel Flight is partly filmed there.
Bunker Hill was renamed Grissom Air Force Base after mercury Astronaut Gus Grissom, an Indiana Native who died in the Apollo 1 fire. Today it is Grissom joint reserve Base and is home to a KC-135 strato tanker Squadron.
My brother sent this video to me! We both live in Logansport now, hubby from here! Told him about this (he was 8 at the time) and how close he came to not being here! As I got gas today, you could here the big planes reving up! Loud!
The most beautiful bomber ever. I built a plastic model back in the 60s.
Me too.
I also built a B-58 model back in the 60’s!
I was stationed at BHAFB in the early '60's. I was a jet engine mechanic on the B-58 Hustler. Your story has more holes in it than a Wheel of Swiss cheese.
I was stationed at BHAFB in the mid sixtys and remember most of these incidents. While some of the details are a little off, the general historic events are pretty close to reality. I do remember one of the first successful ejections just after takeoff and the capsule landed in a fram field not to far from the base. Our chopper hooked it up and brought it, and the flyer, back to the base and opened it up, and he was fine. The B58 did a 360* return and landed without a problem.
I worked in the Wing Command Post and on occasion would go out to the runway with the Ops officer to grade landings of the daily returning B-58's. I would also go out in the winter to use a decelerometer to measure the runway traction before landings.
I always enjoyed watching these beautiful machines take to the sky with four afterburners and blue flames out the back.
I was stationed at Beal AFB in Cal back in the early '80's and as a SAC base we had some of those same "lovely MSET" readiness inspections. I was a two stripper at the time, and one afternoon us airman got to have a casual conversation with some of the inspectors who had been in service for over 20 years already. I asked one of them what air craft that they had worked on and one man said he was in the AR (air frame) shop on B-58 hustlers. He said that they were on alert one night and a B-58 taxied out and ran up his engines for take off.... and the pilot called to the alert truck saying that he heard a loud Pop thinking he might have blown a nose wheel tire. So that drove out to investigate and this man entered the nose wheel well and could not find a problem with the tire but when his flash light moved up the well he noticed a major crack in the air frame! He said that the aircraft had just not a strong enough air frame for all that power. wild story.
I’m an old SAC cop and I’m very familiar with Broken Arrow and other terms. At that time the cops were Air Police, but I served in 79-05. SAC ORI’s we’re intense and very realistic so we didn’t mess around. Setting up an NDA, or National Defense Area was drilled into our heads with training exercises after training exercises. I I was posted on at the crash of a military contract Lockheed Electra crash but there was no nuclear weapons on board, though there was radioactive material, for which we had to be checked with Geiger counters.
In the very early 60’s a B-58 crashed into the Great Salt Lake, I believe the crew were killed.
When I was 19 as a new aircraft mechanic straight out of tech school (USAF) 1964. Was in the 6515 OMS at Edwards AFB California. Assigned to the TB-58 chase for the X-70. Those were the days that the Air Force was my dream job. Best days of my career. A great airplane to be associated with. Used to read the tech orders sitting under the wing. does not get any better than that.
Years ago our scout troop went to Grissom and we had a tour of one of their military aircraft.
A great childhood memory.
I have a vintage Boy Scout patch "Hustler Camporee" fall '62. I only wish my dad had an interest in these incredible planes as we visited my grandparents in Mexico, Indiana a stone's throw from Bunker Hill back in the early 60's.
I remember the B-58. They ran supersonic training bomb runs over my home town one summer. They'd arrive at exactly 7:00. Rattled windows all over town and scarred the crap out of our new kitten. It jumped straight up in the air, came down on my arms with all 20 claws out and used my arms for traction as it shot out of the room and ran into the living room and hid under the couch. It finally came out around noon. I got up and walked to the bathroom and ran cold water over my arms to stop the bleeding. Still had visible scars 20 years later.
I was stationed at Grissom from May '74 to Jan '76. Was stationed with the 3rd ACCS (Airborne Command and Control Squadron) as an airborne radio operator aboard the EC-135. From Grissom I went to Korat AB, Thailand to work at the base MARS station. While stationed at Grissom I lived off base at 402 West 6th Street there in Peru and drove a '74 Ford Pinto Runabout. The people there at Grissom are some of the best people that I have ever worked with if not THE BEST people I ever worked with. I will never forget the time I spent at Grissom, I loved it, it was great. Funny, the story talks about a man called Rocky there at Grissom, funny because while I was there in the 3rd ACCS, I also had a friend that I worked with that was called Rocky. I believe his name was Rocky Swearingen or something real close to that. This was a great story, but I was never aware there had been an accident at Grissom. I sure miss those days at Grissom, had a really good time while stationed there.
Thank you for the story. I also want to thank all the vets who posted comments about their own experiences. May God Bless all my brothers and sisters!
Any time you push the cutting edge of technology there is no guarantee of an accident free experience. This was the case with this super plane. 👍
Thank You for researching and sharing important historical events that would otherwise be forgotten.
Thank you for remembering these American patriots who lost their lives. And thanks to all members of the armed forces, past and present, for your service. We take for granted the cost of our freedom and this amazing country, but your productions shine the light on the brave people who made it possible. Thank you and God bless you History Guy.
When I was a kid my dad took me to the dedication of the Grisson AFB. Besides seeing the GREAT immortal stunt pilot Art Scholl, and the Thunder Birds flying big old F4 Phantoms! Man that was a freakin show. But the thing blew my ten year mind was the B-58 Hustler. Man she is a thing of beauty. I got to sit in the pilot's seat with paper covering the areas that were...special. You always remember the 1st plane you fall in love with.
FYI--It's now Grissom RAFB and it technically addressed in Bunker Hill, IN. The gov't sold off all the base housing years ago and the housing is now privately owned. I lived there for about 5 years and only moved about 7 years ago.
I was a crew chief at Grissom from 78 to 80 and again from 84 to 93, when the active side was closed. We were the largest wing of tankers in the AF, with over 60 assigned tankers. I pulled many years of alert duty. We normally had 13 tankers on alert, and planned on getting all 13 started and airborne within 3 minutes of a alert notification.
The B-58 was a cool aircraft, but was limited, because it had to drop its main drop tank to drop and bombs.
The Hustler parked at the main gate, on static display, was not tied down at the nose. One stormy night, we found the aircraft parked with its nose high in the air. At that time some decided to fill the nose tires and the area in the fuselage, above the tires with concrete. The concrete ate thru the skin, and the nose wheels collapsed, due to severe corrosion from the concrete.
ORI inspections were a pain. You knew about when you were due, but not exactly. During one inspection, the team managed to get on the alert pad, and was allowed to wander around unescorted, claiming to be fire Marshall’s, doing a routine inspection.
Hey History Guy 👋 🤓 congrats on the granddaughter!
Thank you for this bit of history. It’s very sobering. My father was in the Air Force from 1948 to 1965 so I grew up in the 50s and early 60s traveling from base to base with him. My life seemed safe and secure and it never occurred to me just how dangerous the world was and the reason for the need for the military.
In our daily lives we may think that our present society is so much better and secure than past generations or civilizations but when you look into it, you realize that there are many different types of danger.
I grew up in that part of Indiana during the 50’s and 60’s. Loved watching them fly over and the KC- 135 tankers as well.
I had no idea about this and I've lived here in Indiana all my life.
I was stationed at Grissom in 1969-71 and we had a broken arrow when one of the last B-58s lost it's nose gear on the runway on its last mission
The Cold War has mostly become a footnote in American history. Thanks for remembering it. It truly deserves it. I’d like to see one of your episodes dedicated to the USAF readiness standards in place at the time, specifically SAC alerts, games played against Soviet subs off the east coast and NATO-USAFE TacEvals and ORIs.
Good story.
I was there. 18 year old jet engine mechanic. The largest part unmelted was the four turbine sections of the engines. It was a mess.
Thanks for sharing.
My father was a photographer who worked as a stringer for the Star back then... He talked about covering this incident.
I was there, maybe 200’ away, when this happened. I worked in the radio shop at the end of the runway. The DSO didn’t fasten his seat belt when the pod slammed shut. Also there was a bar that was to pull his feet back when the pod slams shut so it smashed his toes. The plane was tilted and the pod bounced on impact. I had trouble getting getting out of the area because of the security fence. It burned along time. I sat in it several times making repairs to the radios and intercom systems. It was a thrill to be a part of something so advanced. I left 3 months later for Viet Nam..
I arrived at Bunker Hill AFB in the Spring of 1966 after the Army took over Biggs AFB in El Paso, Texas. I remained at Grissom AFB for the remainder of my 4 year tour and was discharged in August of 1969. While stationed there, 2 or 3 B58's crashed killing most or all of their crew. I never made it back home and still live in Kokomo just South of the Air Base. So many memories. I am very proud to have served my country and wouldn't hesitate to go back and do it all over again. If only!!!
Another fantastic video. Thank you for paying these men the respect they deserve and keeping their memory alive. Far too few know and appreciate these heroes.
My step father was a B-58 Navigator as part of the 305th bomb wing. We lived at Bunker Hill AFB from 1961-1967 while I was 8-14 years old. I do remember the "nuclear drills" conducted at Randall School where we were told we would be safe under our desks! It was not until many years later that the facts about the accident came to light. It was very interesting to see the story here, thanks for posting.
I lived at Bunker Hill AFB from 1964-1969. I was 6-11 years old. My father was part of the ground crew that worked on the KC 135. We came from Spain where there was a nuclear bomb lost off the coast in the early 1960's. I remember those drills. Used to sneek under the wire at the flight line ly flat on the ground and enjoy the ground shaking.
I was stationed at Bunker Hill on that fateful day. The 305th AEMS radio maintenance shop, which I was assigned to, was less than 1000 ft. from the accident site.
My dad John Wright was a B-58 pilot at Bunker Hill at the time of this accident. When Col. Carlton took over as the 305th BW commander, he was coming from commanding a B-52 wing. My dad was assigned to check out Carlton in the Hustler. Carlton later became a 4-star and commanded Military Airlift Command. My dad disliked SAC, but very much enjoyed flying the B-58 precisely because it sleek and fast.
The Hustler must be just about the most beautiful aircraft ever put into service.
Rivalled only by the F-106 Delta Dart.
I had the privilege of working at GARB in the mid 90's. I didn't know about the buried B-58. I'm curious as to just where on the base the plane was found buried. The B-58 has always intrigued me and is one of my favorite cold war era military aircraft. I entered the A.F. in Jan 1972, too late to see a B-58 fly. It's disappointing there wasn't more film footage of the B-58 shot that is accessible today by the general public. Very good piece 'History Guy'. Many thanks.
You caught me with the B-58 cover pic... I was always fascinated by this craft, especially after the 64 movie Fail Safe... For years, I sought to see one up close, and I finally stumbled upon one in the late 80s by accident at Meacham field in FW, TX...
From the 104 Starfighter to the C-5M Super Galaxy, they're all captivating to climb aboard... Unfortunately, I never got to slide through the B-29 / B-36 weapons bay crew tubes...
Share...
What an awful design--can you imagine actually doing the slide-through in combat?
My dad was asst. DCM of the 7th B52 bomb wing at Carswell during the test phase of the B58s which many of my friends dad's were involved with. I personally witnessed 7 B58 accidents as my house was right next to the lake end of the runway. We had to be evacuated when one accident ended up right on top of a nuclear storage bunker. My dad was then transferred to Barksdale and the IG team that did all the ORIs for 2nd Air Force. He was on the team that did the ORI at Bunker Hill. More relevant he and another officer were the closest eyewitness to this accident as the were right next to the B58 when it slipped off the runway and blew up. He was later called to testify at the accident hearing. I remember him talking vaguely about it when he returned but never gave any details about what happened to the crew. After having survived 4 years of bombing Germany with the 8th Air Force during WW 2 this was pretty typical of all our dads. I played back yard football with John Denver. And was at Carswell during the Cuban Missile crises which was far more serious than this accident. My dad went on to be DCM of a B52 wing at Wurtsmith AFB in Michigan before he retired in 1968. He died in the early 1980s of stomach cancer which I will always believe was due to constant exposure to nuclear weapons. One correction the B58 was not a heavy bomber. Also it had one of the highest accident rates about 20 percent. And it was a maintenance nightmare. I personally witnessed the first MITO take off of it at Carswell. My dad knew it was an historical event. Called me and took me out on the flight line. I was right next to them when they took off 4 Vic's of three airplanes each staggered across the runway. Col.Confer was in the last group to go. It was awesome. Then we went down to the other end of the runway and watched 4 B52s do a MITO take off. It was one of the coolest days of my life. One in which you could really be proud to be an American. PTL.
In the mid-1980s I was a student pilot at Aretz Airport at Lafayette studying for an instrument rating. Regan had fired the civilian air traffic controllers, so in northern Indiana the flight controllers at Grissom Air Force base handled all instrument air traffic. Besides talking to the Grissom controllers on the radio, one day my instructor asked if I wanted to try a precision radar approach at Grissom, so I asked the controller if he could get me a PAR approach and he said yes. Basically the controller vectored me onto the approach course and talked me down with instructions like turn right; stop turn; etc. It was a real thrill at the end when the instructor said "look up" and I saw the runway beneath me. We overflew the runway at 50 feet and I got to see a ramp full of KC135 tankers before taking off to finish the lesson. Those Grissom flight controllers were great guys, very professional, friendly and helpful to a new pilot.
19:19 I’m a retired SAC tanker toad KC-135 Boom Operator. Love the history videos. Thanks
My son was stationed at Grissom for 20 years and this is the first time hearing of this incident....
Fixed into the memory of a six year old child, i remember hearing the distinct sound of whistling thunder from above. I looked up and there up high was a B-58 cruising over my house. We had a set of encyclopedias and i found in a photo the aircraft i had just seen. It had just left Mather AFB on a flight path or heading towards what at the time was SAC at Travis AFB. Seeing that aircraft has had a lasting impression on this 61 year old. They just don't make them like that anymore.
thank you for another amazing tale. It's sad to see how much we do not always get to hear, even after decades. I Served for 20 years in the navy and saw my share of accidents. I am glad that someone is remembering the history so one day other will remember what it took, and not to repeat it!
Still remember my first visit when I was six. My father was a sub hunter aircrewman and uncle was a Skyraider pilot...I was just a Navy mechanic then Turboprop tech rep.
congrats on the granddaughter! to her, you will be history that deserves to be remembered
Great story about this amazing aircraft. Turns out my father worked for the company that built the inflight power supply for the B-58 and was privileged to see some of the the first production aircraft in California. I had the opportunity to walk around a static display B-58 at Andrews Air Force Base during an airshow in the 60's. Beautiful machine.
This was the one 6-month period where every SAC bomb wing performed a total wartime takeoff of all their aircraft when their annual Operational Readiness Inspection began. The temperature at Bunker Hill that day was very cold that day, and as the plane in question started its turn onto the active runway, the preceding aircraft went to full power, blowing it onto a large patch of ice. The bombardier/navigator panicked and ejected; unfortunately his seat went vertical and slid back down into his own aircraft. During that period, our B-52 at Turner AFB, GA was 8th in line, following our KCs in the launch sequence and the turbulence at liftoff was pretty sporting, being 23rd in line! We lost one other plane that 6 months, A KC-97 that crashed at Pease AFB, NH when it ended up on the base golf course!
LRAFB has a static B-58 which I drive by and walk by often. I've read the plaque many times, but never knew the history of what I now believe is a very interesting part of our military history.
Rest in Peace Brothers
My dad was stationed there as an Air Police and I'll have to go through his images to find out if there are any from there. He stated that he was on watch during that time, and saw everything happen, but he didn't elaborate. He died of leukemia in 08 and the incident was never acknowledged while he was alive, so no VA claims or anything.
It's amazing how quickly they went from subsonic to supersonic. This this was online only 15 years after WW2. It's top speed was around 3x the P-38 Lightening.
There seemed to be more advancement in aircraft performance during the 1950s decade than at any other time, including now.
I live one county over (about 45 mins travel time) from Grissom ARB and have been itching for you to cover this story. I hereby echo others who recommend for you to visit Grissom's air museum if you ever get the chance.
I was stationed at Grissom Air FORCE Base from 1989-1992, and I was a civilian employee at Grissom Air RESERVE Base from 2003 until my retirement just this past spring. I worked in Civil Engineering and I know about that accident, being briefed on it when runway projects took place. I won't mention who told me this, but he said the danger of radioactive contamination was, and still is, very low. He said you could go out to the site where the plane and the bombs were buried, sit on the ground for several years, and never receive a dosage of radiation high enough to do any harm. He also said all of the wreck and bombs were removed many, many years ago and nothing remains. However that incident is something that is always at the forefront of conversations whenever base renovations take place. Perspective contractors want to be sure they're not putting anyone in danger. Can't say I blame them.
Thank you for this video, thank you for the respect given to the crewman who died in that accident, and also for specifying "Air Force" and "Air Reserve" during your monologue. It grates at me when people still call it "Air Force" base when it clearly no longer is. Just a personal pet peeve I guess. 😆😁
I was a pilot instructor in 1970, and at sometime between 70 and 71 I did a cross country with a student, in a T-38, into Davis Monthan AFB, with the plan to get a tour through the boneyard, where all the USAF retired aircraft are stored. The saddest sight I have seen in my life, was to walk around all the remaining B-58s parked on the fence line, waiting for the hatchet. It was such a beautiful aircraft, and it just didn't look right to me.
On one occasion in the late 60s, while flying a mission, I was not able to land at my planned destination because of bad weather,. As a result of the missed approach, I asked the controller for clearance to fly to my planned alternate, K.I.Sawyer AFB. After getting established enroute, I called Ops at K.I.Sawyer, to announce what time I would be arriving.
Even though I had fuelled up there many times before, after my landing, I was met with a jeep that had 2 .50 calibre machine guns, and they were trained on me. On a -40 degree winter night, I was required to sit in the aircraft, freezing my butt off, while they re-fuelled my aircraft. After I was refuelled, the ground crew started me up, the jeep followed me out to the departure end of the runway, and followed me down the runway as I did my takeoff. Yes, SAC was at war, and treated any unusual incident as a potential attack.
On another occasion, at Kincheloe AFB, while while in Operations and filing for the next leg of my flight plan, a Cessna 172 called Operations, and reported thay were lost, out of gas, and needed to land. After they landed, the Security Police, had the poor family spread eagled on the pavement in front of the Ops building. They were still laying there when I made my departure. Good memories (not necessarily for them).
Once again, well done, top quality job of telling us about our history. Thank you
I was born and raised in Kokomo, and my mom/Step-dad still live in Peru...and this is the first I have heard of this. I was born March 64, and I have a few friends who live in the old base housing as it is a civilian housing district now. Wow, thanks for the history lesson, THG! Great story.
Hello fellow Hoosier!! I was born in 61 and I had no idea of this. I live about and hour and a half from the base. I’ve been by there many times.
Born in 74 and not far from Grissom, even my aunt and uncle worked on the base. I have few memories from visits that young, but I remember how the jets shook their house. And my aunt complaining about having windows broken.
I always have to chuckle about with the reporting of a nuke being in a fire. There are so hard to set off that no fire is going to detonate one, the timing of the explosives is ultra critical. Spreading some radiation is a possibility, but a mushroom cloud is out of the question.
My dad was there on the flight line at the time. I remember him telling us he could feel the heat of the fire through the rear window of the vehicle he was in. I was in Arkansas and 14 years old at the time and my dad told us of this months later.