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Declassified record · U.S. Department of Energy

Memo to Seaborg, Et Al, Subject: B-52 Crash at Thule Air Base Greeland (No Attachments)

Dated
Mar 19, 1968
Document type
Correspondence
Length
3 pages
Open the original scanArchive record OSTI ID 16169530 · public domain

Document text

Machine-read from the scan, so expect some errors. Lines that couldn’t be read are left out.

Page 1

ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION MEMORANDUM FOR CHAIRMAN SEA BORG US DOE ARCHIVES SUBJECT B-52 CRASH AT THULE AIR BASE, ilfeaNLAND IT Jj2Js This is the sixth in a series of status reports to the Commission on the Thule B-52 accident situation. This report briefly sum marizes information available as of noon, March 18, 1968. Results of the detailed evaluation of weapons debris are reflected in the attached report entitled "Evaluation of Weapons Debris From The Thule Incident" and the associated memorandum of transmittal from the Assistant Manager for Operations, ALO. A copy of this report, with its memorandum of transmittal, was provided Commissioner Tape on March 15, 1968, to assist him in the March 18-19, 1968, meeting with the Danes. Copies of the report and memorandum of transmittal were also provided Dr. Walske, ATSD(AE); Colonel Sundstrom, Office of the Chief of Staff, USAF; and Dr. Carter, DDR&E, on March 18, 1968. Subsequent to the receipt of the above report, we have been informed that inspection of the contents of the weapon parachute packages at Richland Operations has resulted in the identification of the 4* pilot parachute and the 16%' ribbon parachute from weapon SN 78252. The total parts now identified with this weapon are the reservoir, the 64' main parachute, and the above two parachutes. Efforts to remove contaminated ice and snow from the "burned area" are continuing. It is now estimated that most of the contamination was trapped in the black crust which was approximately one centimeter thick. As of the last verbal report from Headquarters, USAF, sixty (60) 25,000 gallon steel tanks have been filled with recovered ice

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and snow and It is now estimated that approximately seventy (70) of the ninety (90) tanks available will be used. After the ice and snow have melted, the tanks will be about one-third full. The Navy has stated that tanks containing liquid must be full in order to maintain proper center of gravity on the transport ship. Therefore, plans have been made to combine the malted ice and snow into a minimum number of full tanks (approximately 20-25) prior to shipment. The empty contaminated tanks will also be returned for proper disposal. Additional bits and pieces of weapons are being retrieved during the snow and ice removal operations; however, nothing of significance has been identified. A shipment of weapons debris arrived at Kirtland AFB, Mew Mexico, on March 17, 1968, and was reshlpped to LASL on March 18, 1968. Brigadier General, USAF Assistant Genaral Manager for Military Application 1. Memo fm Hancock to 2. Report - Evaluation of Weapons Debris From The Com. Tape w/o attachments Dir. Ref. w/o attachments

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INCOMPLETE DOCUMENT REFERENCE SHEET The archive copy of this document is incomplete. ! US DOE ARCHIVES