Talk:1961 Yuba City B-52 crash

What caused it
What caused the decompression? --Whoop whoop pull up Bitching Betty 18:02, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

What caused the decompression?
What actually caused the decompression in the first place? Whoop whoop pull up Bitching Betty 21:37, 1 October 2011 (UTC)

Dexedrine? "Turret"?
I find this claim very dubious; they had just taken off. You don't take something like dexedrine until you begin to feel fatigued, many hours into the flight. Taking it prematurely will just fatigue your body further later on. Sounds to me more like someone stirring up waters trying to sell books, to create a scandal. Even if these claims of improper actions are true, it seems far more likely to me that it was caused by the intense heat in the cockpit. Heat makes you woozy, hard to think straight. It can cause you to pass out even. If it was as bad as it sounds, ordered thought would be very difficult, and you'd be very distracted by discomfort.

Then "The bailout sequence began at approximately 7,000 feet with an outside temperature of approximately 42 degrees, and was normal except the gunner could not jettison his turret despite full strength pull on the inner emergency release handle. The gunner was called forward and bailed out the navigator hatch, using the spare chute in the forward compartment." There is obviously a mistake here: the B-52 has no manned "turrets". The tail gunner is located in the forward fuselage, sitting next to the EWO, both facing rearward on the upper deck. The tail guns are radar controlled. Both should have downward firing ejection seats, but maybe this wasn't true in early models. In any case, there is no reason for his to "jettison his turret". That makes no sense at all. Perhaps they mean "jettison his escape hatch"? AnnaGoFast (talk) 23:58, 7 July 2016 (UTC)


 * It was a 24 hour flight. They were well into the flight before the problems became such that the mission would be aborted. Also (I doubt if this was the case in California) crews on alert in 1961 could spend hours in the cockpit simply waiting. Practices were changed later because it was recognised that this was a terrible way to maintain crew efficiencies.
 * The early B-52 models (I don't know the later details) may not have had a rear "turret", but it did have a gunner's compartment aft of the tail. https://tacairnet.com/2015/01/01/gunfight-the-b-52-mig-kills-of-linebacker-ii/ Andy Dingley (talk) 21:06, 8 July 2016 (UTC)

Missing bits
Andy Dingley (talk) 01:26, 21 December 2018 (UTC)
 * What was the mission plan?
 * What were the weapons carried? If this was external carriage, I'm guessing Hound Dogs?
 * What happened to the weapons afterwards? What state were they in?
 * I think they were part of this operation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Chrome_Dome this article links to here

1961 Yuba City B-52 Crash
I have noticed a few statements in published details and thought I would comment those that I recognized. First I would like to establish my source. I am Robert M. Dobson the spare navigator on B-52 No 57-0166. I occupied the instructor navigators position which kept me constant contact with the aircraft commander, Major Ray Clay. I have just read the report of B-52 crash at Yuba City March 14, 1961 and found a few little errors, but your use of excerpts from Lt Col Earl McGill a retired SAC B-52 pilot in his book published in 2012, 50 years after the crash of B-52 on March 14, 1961 are not correct and require a challenge. As the spare navigator on board DOE 11 I challenge his conclusion and question how he arrived at them. To my knowledge McGill was not involved in anyway, was not in the area and did not interview anyone involved. And was not aware the Deputy for Operations was in the command post making decisions. The DO was transferred. The aircrew followed instructions, but I believe should have been allowed to land at Beale AFB.

The 320th was flying Crome Dome (24 hours) missions. An extra navigator and pilot would fly to give crew a rest period. I elected to fly with Ray Clay's crew. The aircraft had several problems but were instructed continue the mission. The compression's system went full hot. The heat was unbearable, temperature estimate 130-170 F. Glass on instrument panel was breaking and pilot's L4 window broke. The pilot had to wear gloves to touch controls. Depressurize to avoid heat. Two crew members  got bends (co-pilot & EW). Descended to 12000 feet, which increased fuel consumption. A KC-135 pilot on alert pad requested permission to refuel us. The Deputy for Operations who was in command post making decisions refused, concerned crew too tired to refuel, instructed crew to continue mission. We were out over the ocean when Major Clay asked me to calculate how much longer we could fly before aborting the mission and going to Beale AFB. I did so and safety factor based on wife and 2 children. When reached this point, we aborted the mission and were headed to Beale AFB, when the Deputy for Operations decided we should refuel. Information not discussed but later confirmed. A KC-135 was scheduled for training mission with a scheduled take off time. But pilot only told to check in with Command post after airborne. So tanker pilot ate breakfast and made an on time takeoff was trying to refuel (in observation position) when all eight engines quit it got really quiet. The pilot (Ray Clay) calmly said 'Break Away'  tanker said 'did you say Break Away'--Ray said 'Roger, we don't need you anymore'. He then ordered ' bail out'. The gunner said 'the tail torrent won't jettison' (shipping pin had not been removed). Pilot said 'come forward, we will wait for you'. Gunner came through bomb bay to navigators compartment where I was holding chute for him. The spare pilot came downstairs to help get chute on Gunner. Told pilot 'have chute on gunner'. Pilot said 'bail out'. the ejection sequence was navigator down which left hole for non ejection crew to bail out. Other crew members ejected. We told gunner how to bail out, he and spare pilot bailed out. As Instructor navigator, I had communications with pilot. The extra pilot came downstairs to help me get chute on gunner and bail out Navigator eject first and downward leaving a way for non-ejection crew to bail out.

I became the only B52 jumpmaster. Told pilot 'everyone was out', he said 'ok let's go'. I jumped pulled ripcord until I had end of pin in my hand, said 'have done all I can it's up to you GOD."

Stopped a truck who took me to a service station called operator told this was emergency call Beal AFB. Told Beale operator I just jumped from B52, let me talk to anybody wants to talk to me.

The wing commander, Col Carlton said 'are you ok'. I said 'yes. I counted parachutes and everyone got out'. Watched the airplane slowly descend and crash. There was no explosion, no fire. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.155.181.206 (talk • contribs) 20:18, 11 January 2020 (UTC)
 * The above was posted on the article page; I have moved it here. Dorsetonian (talk) 21:12, 11 January 2020 (UTC)