USAF B-52 Bomber Carrying Nuclear Bombs Crashes in Maryland Cold War Mission

• A USAF B-52 Stratofortress bomber, part of the 'Chrome Dome' mission, crashed in Western Maryland on January 13, 1965, during a Cold War patrol.
• The plane, call sign 'Buzz One Four', was carrying two B-53 nuclear bombs, each with a 24-megaton yield, capable of destroying thousands of cities like Hiroshima.
• Extreme turbulence caused structural failure, leading to the vertical stabilizer breaking off and the plane becoming uncontrollable at 29,500 feet.
• Pilot Major Thomas W. McCormick and co-pilot Captain Parker C. Peden ejected and survived, though Peden endured 36 hours in the icy wilderness.
• Three crew members, Major Robert Townley, Major Robert Lee Pen, and Technical Sergeant Melvin E. Wooten, died in the crash or from hypothermia; the nuclear bombs were recovered unarmed and intact.

Why It Matters: A Cold War USAF B-52 bomber carrying nuclear bombs crashed in Maryland, killing three crew members.