Question: What happened to the Mark 39 hydrogen bombs that fell from the B-52 U.S. Air Force bomber that broke apart in midair over Goldsboro in 1961?
Answer: There are multiple accounts of what happened to the Mark 39 hydrogen bombs. Some believe one bomb’s parachute deployed as designed, allowing the bomb to land intact. The safing pins were removed from the generator, which prevented detonation. As for the second bomb, reports claim its parachute did not deploy, leading to an impact that put its indicator into “armed” mode. An additional component of the bomb was reportedly too damaged to function, thereby preventing detonation.
Another report claims that one of the bombs performed as it was designed. Its parachute deployed and its trigger mechanisms engaged, leading to one single, low-voltage switch thwarting unimaginable destruction. In that report, the other bomb is said to have remained onboard until impact.