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Arctic Nuclear Scare: Bomber Crashes, Spreading Radiation
22 Jan
Summary
- A B-52G bomber crashed in Greenland, scattering radioactive material.
- The incident strained US-Danish relations over nuclear policy.
- A cover-up over nuclear bomb detonation was revealed years later.
A US B-52G Stratofortress on a Cold War patrol mission over Greenland experienced a fire on January 21, 1968, forcing its seven-member crew to bail out. The bomber crashed near Thule Air Base, triggering the conventional explosion of four thermonuclear weapons.
While the bombs did not achieve a full nuclear yield, radioactive debris was spread across the ice, contaminating a local fjord. The crash exposed that the US was routinely flying nuclear-armed bombers over Greenland, violating Denmark's long-standing nuclear-free policy and straining bilateral relations.
An initial US claim that all four bombs detonated proved false; investigations weeks later revealed components from only three were recovered. A classified report indicated a fusion stage from a fourth weapon was never found.
The extensive cleanup operation, which lasted until September 1968 and cost $9.4 million (approximately $90 million today), removed 90 percent of the plutonium. However, the incident's full impact on US-Danish relations and the secrecy surrounding these flights continued to surface for decades, culminating in a 1995 scandal known as Thulegate.
