1965 Philippine Sea A-4 incident
Incident | |
---|---|
Date | December 5, 1965 |
Summary | Pre-flight human error |
Site | Philippine Sea,[1] 80 mi (130 km) E of Kikai Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan[2] 27°33.2′N 131°19.3′E / 27.5533°N 131.3217°E[1] |
Aircraft type | Douglas A-4E Skyhawk |
Operator | Attack Squadron VA-56[3] Carrier Air Wing Five |
Registration | BuNo 151022[3] |
Fatalities | Pilot (LTJG Douglas M. Webster)[4] |
The 1965 Philippine Sea A-4 crash was a Broken Arrow incident in which a United States Navy Douglas A-4E Skyhawk attack aircraft of Attack Squadron 56 (VA-56) carrying a nuclear weapon fell into the sea off Japan from the aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga.[5] The plane, pilot and weapon were never recovered.
The accident
On 5 December 1965, 31 days after Ticonderoga's departure from U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay in the Philippines,[5] the attack jet fell over the side during a training exercise while being rolled from the number 2 hangar bay to the number 2 elevator.[4] The pilot, Lieutenant (junior grade) Douglas M. Webster; the aircraft, Douglas A-4E BuNo 151022 of VA-56; and the B43 nuclear bomb were never recovered[6] from the 16,000 ft (4,900 m) depth.[1] The accident occurred 80 miles (130 km) from Kikai Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.[2]
Ticonderoga had aboard Carrier Air Wing Five during this cruise, with two squadrons of Skyhawks, the other being VA-144.[7]
Revelation
It was not until 1989 that the Pentagon revealed the loss of the one-megaton bomb.[8] The revelation inspired a diplomatic inquiry from Japan requesting details.[9]
References
- ^ a b c USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14) Deck Log (transcription in YouTube caption) (Report). "National Archives"(previously at Washington Navy Yard: Deck Log section). December 5, 1965. Retrieved 2012-04-18.
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- ^ a b Maruyama Kuniaki 丸山邦明 (2005). "Gunji kichi mondai to Amami 軍事基地問題と奄美". In Kagoshima-ken chihō jichi kenkyūsho 鹿児島県地方自治研究所 (ed.). Amami sengo-shi 奄美戦後史 (in Japanese).
- ^ a b Oskins, James C; Maggelet, Michael H. (2007). Broken Arrow: The Declassified History of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Accidents. Lulu Publishing. p. 217, ch. 29. ISBN 1-4357-0361-8.
- ^ a b "LTJG Douglas M. Webster". A4skyhawk.org. 1965-12-05. Archived from the original on 2010-12-06. Retrieved 2010-03-28.
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suggested) (help) - ^ a b "Ticonderoga Cruise Reports". Archived from the original (Navy.mil weblist of Aug 2003 compilation from cruise reports) on 2004-09-07. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
The National Archives hold[s] deck logs for aircraft carriers for the Vietnam Conflict.
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Broken Arrows at www.atomicarchive.com. Accessed Aug 24, 2007.
- ^ http://www.gonavy.jp/CV-CV14f.html
- ^ "U.S. Confirms '65 Loss of H-Bomb Near Japanese Islands". The Washington Post. Reuters. May 9, 1989. p. A-27.
- ^ Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post, "Japan Asks Details On Lost H-Bomb", Wednesday, 10 May 1989, page A-35.