B-52 Down

The Night the Bombs Fell From the Sky

On January 13, 1964, a B-52 bomber with a crew of five and two nuclear bombs crashed in a western Maryland blizzard. Author Linda Sittig describes the harrowing community-wide search for survivors.

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Sixty-one years ago, BUZZ ONE FOUR, a strategic air weapon in the Cold War era of the United States, flew into an unexpected Arctic blizzard that disabled the plane. The five-man crew ejected from 30,000 feet into the raging storm, each landing miles away from each other in the treacherous mountains of western Maryland. While families waited for news, 1,000 volunteers combed the 52,000 acres of the rugged area, searching for survivors and the two nuclear bombs the plane was carrying. This is the story of a community-wide effort to band together and attempt to overcome incredible odds.   

Learn about Linda Sittig and read her blog Stories of Strong Women.

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