Listing of B-52 crashes since 1957

***CRASH***

December 12, 1957 - A U.S. Air Force B-52 crashes on takeoff at Fairchild AFB near Spokane, Washington. All crew members are killed except the tail gunner. The incident is caused by trim motors that were hooked up backwards. The aircraft climbed straight up, stalled, fell over backwards and nosed straight down.

***CRASH***
September 8, 1958 - Two B-52s collide over the town of Airway Heights near Fairchild AFB. Thirteen crew members are killed, while three survive. There were no casualties on the ground.

***CRASH***
October 15, 1959 - A USAF B-52F-100-BO, 57-036, collides with KC-135 tanker, 57-1513, over Hardinsberg, Kentucky, crashes with two nuclear weapons on board, killing four of eight on the bomber and all four tanker crew. One bomb partially burned in fire, but both are recovered intact. Bombs moved to the AEC's Clarkesville, Tennessee storage site for inspection and dismantlement. Both aircraft deployed from Columbus AFB, Mississippi.

***CRASH***
January 24, 1961: A USAF B-52G-95-BW, 58-0187, on airborne alert suffers structural failure, fuel leak, of starboard wing over Goldsboro, North Carolina, wing fails when flaps are engaged during emergency approach to Seymour Johnson AFB, two weapons on board break loose during airframe disintegration, one parachutes safely to ground, second impacts on marshy farm land, breaks apart, sinks into quagmire. Air Force excavates fifty feet down, finds no trace of bomb, forcing permanent digging easement on site. Five of eight crew survive.

***CRASH***
March 14, 1961: Failure of a pressurization system forces USAF B-52 to fly low, accelerating fuel-burn, bomber has fuel starvation at 10,000 feet over Yuba City, California, crashes, killing aircraft commander. Two nuclear weapons on board tear loose on impact but no explosion or contamination takes place.

***CRASH***
January 13, 1964: United States Air Force B-52D-10-BW, 55-060, suffers structural failure in turbulence of winter storm, crashes approximately 17 miles SW of Cumberland, Maryland. Pilot, co-pilot, eject, survive. Navigator, tail gunner, eject, die of exposure. Radar nav fails to eject, rides airframe in with two nuclear weapons on board. Both bombs survive intact and are recovered.

***CRASH***
January 17, 1966 - A B-52 Stratofortress collides with a KC-135 Stratotanker during aerial refueling near Palomares, Spain in the Palomares hydrogen bombs incident. Seven crew members are killed in the crash, and two of the B-52's Mark 28 nuclear bombs rupture, scattering radioactive material over the countryside. One bomb lands intact near the town, and another is lost at sea. It is later recovered intact 5 miles (8 km) offshore.

***CRASH***
January 21, 1968 - A B-52G-100-BW Stratofortress, 58-0188, c.n. 4642256, from Plattsburgh AFB, New York, carrying four hydrogen bombs crashes on the ice seven miles short of Thule Air Base, Greenland. 1 crew member killed; all four B-28 weapons are consumed in post-crash fire, extensive contamination of site, several relief workers exposed to radiation. See also B-52 crash at Thule Air Base.

***CRASH***
October 9, 1969 - A USAF B-52F-70-BW, 57-0172, of the 329th Bomb Squadron, crashed about 1,000 feet beyond end of runway while doing touch-and-goes at Castle AFB, California. All six crew died in the 11:45 p.m. accident as the Stratofortress exploded on impact.

***CRASH***
April 3, 1970 - A USAF B-52 of the 26th Bomb Wing caught fire and crashed during landing at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, skidding into a brick storage building containing 25,000 gallons of jet fuel. Heroic efforts by crash crew save all nine on board, although one suffered broken limbs, and three firefighters were injured. One of the eight jet engines ran for forty minutes following crash.

***CRASH***
January 7, 1971 - An unarmed USAF B-52C-45-BO, 54-2666, of the 9th BW, Westover AFB, Massachusetts, crashed into Lake Michigan near Charlevoix, Michigan during a practice bomb run, exploding on impact. Only a small amount of wreckage, two life vests, and some spilled fuel was found in Little Traverse Bay. Bomber went down six nautical miles from the Bay Shore Air Force Radar Site. Nine crew KWF.

***CRASH***
March 31, 1972 - Twenty minutes after take-off from McCoy AFB, Florida, a USAF B-52D-80-BO, 56-0625, of the 306th Bomb Wing, suffers in-flight fire in engine number seven which spreads to starboard wing; attempts emergency landing at McCoy, crashes one quarter mile short of runway, killing seven on board, injuring eight civilians on the ground, destroys four houses.

***CRASH***
February 8, 1974 - A USAF B-52 of the 744th BS, 456th BW, veered off the runway during night take-off from Beale AFB, California, skidded 1,500 feet through a muddy field before overturning, destroyed by four massive explosions and fire. One crew, the first pilot, was thrown free before the fire but seven others perished.

***CRASH***
October 19, 1978 - A USAF B-52D-75-BO, 56-0594, of the 22nd Bomb Wing, crashes at 7:30 a.m. in light fog in a plowed field ~2 1/2 miles SE of March AFB, near the rural community of Sunnymead, California, shortly after take-off. Five crew killed, but one is able to escape the burning wreckage and was reported in stable condition at the base hospital. Traffic was disrupted on nearby Interstate 15E.

***CRASH***
October 30, 1981 - A USAF B-52D-55-BO, 55-078, of the 22nd Bomb Wing, March AFB, California, crashes on the eastern Colorado prairie near La Junta at 6:30 a.m. while on a low-level (400 foot altitude) training mission, killing all eight crew. No weapons were onboard.

***EXPLOSION***
November 29, 1981 - Shortly after completing a training mission, a USAF B-52G-130-BW, 59-4766, suffered hydraulics fire in nose gear, exploded at the end of the runway at Castle AFB, California, but crew of nine escaped before it was fully engulfed. Aircraft commander ordered evacuation as soon as he learned of the wheel fire.

***EXPLOSION***
January 27, 1982 - Five are killed and eight injured when a USAF B-52G catches fire and explodes at 9:30 a.m. on the ramp at Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota. The Stratofortress was undergoing routine maintenance after flying a training mission the previous night.

***CRASH***
October 16, 1984 - An unarmed USAF B-52 of the 92nd Bomb Wing out of Fairchild AFB, Washington, crashed about 9 p.m. into a mesa on the Navajo reservation in northeastern Arizona 13 miles NE of Kayenta, during a low-level training flight. Eight crew eject and recovered in a day; one ejects, missing; gunner KWF.

***CRASH***
December 6, 1988 - A USAF B-52H-150-BW, 60-0040, crashed on the runway at 1:15 a.m. EST at K.I. Sawyer AFB, Michigan, while doing touch-and-goes after a seven-hour training flight. No weapons were aboard the bomber, which broke into three parts. All crew survived, crawling or being helped from the nose section, without sustaining burns.

***CRASH***
January 17, 1991 - A B-52 crashed in the Indian Ocean just off the coast of Diego Garcia. Three crew members were killed. The cause of the crash was an electrical system failure. The bomber had been part of the massive air attack on Iraq during Operation Desert Storm. Two B-52's were hit by Iraqi missiles and a third was accidentally hit by a US missile. All three aircraft landed safely.

***CRASH***
June 24, 1994 - 'Czar 52', a USAF B-52H Stratofortress, crashes during an airshow practice at Fairchild AFB. After having rehearsed the maneuvers profile that in itself was dangerous to fly in a B-52, the aircraft came into land. Due to a KC-135 Stratotanker still being on the runway, the aircraft was required to make a 'go around'. After beginning a 360-degree turn left, the aircraft exceeded 90 degrees angle of bank, stalled and crashed into the ground. All four aircrew members were killed in the crash.

***CRASH***
July 21, 2008 - The aircraft was about to participate in an Liberation Day airshow at the Andersen Air Force Base at Guam when it crashed into the Pacific Ocean at 9:45 AM (2345 GMT), 15 minutes before the parade was about to start. The US Air Force announced the accident saying that the crew of 6 were missing and that a search mission, involving several aircraft and helicopters was under way. The crash took place approximately 25 miles (40 km) northwest of Apra Harbor. The B-52H had its home base at Barksdale and was in Guam as part of a four-month rotation.

Source: Wikipedia