{"id":8989,"date":"2025-05-27T13:12:05","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T17:12:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/?p=8989"},"modified":"2026-04-01T11:36:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T15:36:29","slug":"faro-bomber-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legeros.com\/blog\/faro-bomber-crash\/","title":{"rendered":"B-52 Bomber Crash Near Goldsboro – January 24, 1961"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Looking back at the “broken arrow” B-52 bomber crash near Goldsboro (NC) on January 24, 1961. With period photos and news clippings, plus a visit to the crash site today.<\/p>\n

At 12:15 a.m., a B-52G Stratofortress operated by the 424 1st Strategic Air Command Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and carrying two unarmed nuclear weapons crashed in the Faro community of rural Wayne County, 12 miles north of Goldsboro and the nearby base. Here’s that story.<\/p>\n

Aircraft in Trouble<\/strong><\/p>\n

Said the aircraft\u2019s commander afterward, the plane had been airborne 11 hours when \u201cit developed difficulty.\u201d It was diverted over the ocean and \u201cefforts were made to correct the trouble.\u201d It was then ordered back to base in Goldsboro. As they neared the base, SAC officials ordered the pilots to descend to 10,000 feet, to \u201ccheck various functions as it neared the base.\u201d<\/p>\n

But when they reached that altitude, the plane became uncontrollable. The commander ordered his crew to bail out. The commander and five other crew members parachuted from the aircraft. Ten or twelve seconds after they bailed out, it crashed and burned near \u201cMusgrave\u2019s Crossroads,\u201d today the intersection of Big Daddy\u2019s Road and Antioch Road.<\/p>\n

Three Killed, Five Survived<\/strong><\/p>\n

Five of the parachuting airmen landed safely and with only minor injuries. The body of the sixth member was found in a tree, his parachute open, two miles from the crash site. The two remaining airmen were aboard the aircraft when it crashed. Their bodies were later found in the nose of the aircraft, in the wreckage.<\/p>\n

Killed were: Maj. Eugene Shelton, 42, from San Antonio, TX, radar operator; Maj. Eugene Richards, 43, from Toccoa, GA, electronics operator; T-Sgt. Francis R. Barnish, 36, from Greenfield, MA, gunner.<\/p>\n

One of the survivors, Maj. Walter S. Tulooch, the aircraft commander, was missing for almost seven hours. He had walked from where he landed, two miles away. He had landed in a swamp.<\/p>\n

Two Nuclear Weapons Aboard<\/strong><\/p>\n

Aboard the aircraft were two 24-megaton nuclear bombs. One was ejected and descended by parachute. It was found \u201cdangling from a tree in the general area of the crash\u201d.[1]<\/p>\n

The other was found initially reported intact in the wreckage. Both were safely recovered and Air Force officials said \u201cthere was no danger of radioactivity.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, officials later reported that one part of the bomb aboard the crash aircraft had not been recovered.[2] They would begin digging at the site and continue for months. See later section about that.<\/p>\n

[1] News-Argus, October 22, 1962.<\/p>\n

[2] News-Argus, March 27, 1961.<\/p>\n

Witness Describes the Crash<\/strong><\/p>\n

The crash was described in the newspaper: it \u201chit in a field a few hundred feet from Bud Tyndall\u2019s home, burst in flames and disintegrated as it powered across a rural road and into a field beyond.\u201d The homeowner\u2019s wife, in the house, said the explosion rocked the area. \u201cIt looked like the whole world was on fire.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aaron Edmundson, a mile away, was awakened by the blast. \u201cI heard the roar of jet engines and then a loud explosion. It sounded like WHOOM.\u201d And then, \u201cthe whole place lit up. It was the reddest I have ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emergency Response<\/strong><\/p>\n

The crash was first reported by the highway patrol minutes after it had occurred. Firefighters from the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base responded to the crash site, as did volunteer firemen from Wayne County\u2019s rural fire departments. In 1961, there were 24 departments. Those closest to the crash site included Eureka and Faro.<\/p>\n

The paper noted \u201cthe crash started the wheels turning in Wayne County\u2019s rural volunteer fire departments. Five of the departments were standing by ready to assist at the Air Force\u2019s call.\u201d At the courthouse, manning the \u201cCivil Defense countywide radio set-up,\u201d William Earl Edwards reported that four fire departments were \u201cready to go to the scene within a five-minute radius.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the scene, the rural fire department units were directed by Fire Marshal Norwood Vinson, and all stood by to assist with firefighting.<\/p>\n

Security Forces Arrive<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wayne County sheriff\u2019s deputies and State Highway Patrolmen also responded. Also rushing to the scene were dozens of Air Force personnel, including \u201cexplosion and armament specialists\u201d and a \u201cbig contingent of Air Policemen.\u201d It was estimated that 100 members of the Air Force were on scene.<\/p>\n

Though the Air Force said there was no danger of a nuclear blast, \u201cthe area was roped off and at least one family was evacuated.\u201d Officials were concerned that the high explosives that were also contained in the nuclear bomb might explode.<\/p>\n

Uniformed men \u201cwith carbines strapped to their shoulders\u201d secured the perimeter and \u201ccuriosity seekers were kept back\u201d and warned by airmen of \u201cpossible radio activity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Said the newspaper of the community, \u201cat midnight the road leading into Faro had been one of the most deserted parts of the county.\u201d At 1 a.m., \u201cit was bustling with humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n

On January 26, 1961, Air Force officials asked those people who had visited the crash site to \u201cplease return any of the aircraft parts they may have picked up,\u201d reported that day\u2019s News-Argus. Airbase officials would come to their location and retrieve the items.<\/p>\n

Please call the base Provost Marshall, RE 5-1121, and ask for extension 780 or 238. In addition, anyone who had seen the plane in flight, before or after \u201cit developed trouble,\u201d were asked to call the base information office, RE 5-1121, extension 251 or 631. The Air Force also asked that \u201cvisitors remain away from the wreckage area\u201d to keep the investigation from being impeded.<\/p>\n

On February 7, 1961, the New-Argus reported that the base reported that some 15 to 20 people had contacted the base, or had come to the base, with parts of the plane. Others left pieces at their local fire departments. Officials were still looking for parts of the plane. The largest part that was still missing was the co-pilot\u2019s ejection seat.<\/p>\n

On March 27, 1961, the News-Argus reported that county health authorities said there was no contamination from the crash. Air Force testing had found the area free of radioactivity or \u201cother chemical contamination.\u201d Tests were made on \u201cthe water supply and vegetation in the area\u201d before and during digging operations. The latter was the search for a \u201cmissing portion of a nuclear weapon.\u201d The Air Force had initially denied that they were searching for same, but later confirmed those details.<\/p>\n

On May 29, 1961, the News-Argus reported that digging operations at the crash site were still underway. The Air Force was seeking \u201ca small inert portion of the weapon which was carried down by the plane.\u201d The operations started shortly after the crash and had continued for four months, the newspaper noted.<\/p>\n

On June 1, 1961, the News-Argus reported that digging operations at the crash site had ended, Air Force officials announced that day. The portion of the bomb was \u201cburied deep in the ground near Eureka.\u201d Earlier that year, the command of the SAC Wing at Seymour Johnson said \u201cthe missing portion was not exploded and there was absolutely no danger from radiation.\u201d On June 1, the Air Force emphasized that \u201call explosive components have been removed and continued recovery operations are not economically feasible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Historical Perspective<\/strong><\/p>\n

The crash was the first of a Strategic Air Command aircraft since the reactivation of Seymour Johnson AFB in 1956.<\/p>\n

The last fatal crash at the Seymour Johnson AFB occurred shortly after reactivation, when an F-86 fighter crashed while making an emergency landing. The pilot was killed.<\/p>\n

The Site Today<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wikipedia lists the coordinates of the crash site as 35\u00b029\u203234.23\u2033N 77\u00b051\u203231.39\u2033W, which is near a small circle of tall trees in a farm field. The circle of trees is a former graveyard, noted at least one local resident. They said the crash site is located to the right of the trees and farther back from the road.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And how do historians and researchers regard the accident and how close\/not close did eastern North Carolina came to a nuclear disaster? Google for contemporary perspectives.<\/p>\n

Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n

These narrative notes are drawn from reporting by the News-Argus on January 24 and January 25, unless otherwise noted.<\/p>\n

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