When a B-52 Bomber Flew Without Tail For 6 Hours In 1964 #shorts
43,675On January 10, 1964, a B-52H was deployed to determine the impacts of shaking turbulence on aircraft. It carried out an eight-hour flight through rugged terrain at a 500-foot altitude to test airspeeds over 400 knots. The crew ended the mission and climbed to 14,000 feet since the turbulence throughout the flight became very intense. Then, an unexpected five-second burst of clear air turbulence strongly pushed the aircraft to the right and sideways, ripping off the vertical fin. According to the pilot, it felt like a powerful edge hit. The aircraft began to tilt rapidly to the left in an instant. He activated the air brakes to slow the aircraft down to 210 knots and stabilize it at some level. The B-52's pilot was informed by a North American F-100 that "all of the aircraft's rudder and most of your vertical fin are missing. The B-52 pilot questioned, "Don't I possess even 50%?" In response, he said, "No, you don't even have 50%." The pilot and co-pilot made the decision to try to land even though the crew had planned to eject. They proceeded carefully to Arkansas and made a successful landing.
#shorts #youtubeshorts #b52bomber #b52 #without #tail #hours