14/10/2024
When a B-52 landed without a tail
In 1964, a B-52H crew was pushing the bomber to its limits when suddenly things went very wrong. The vertical stabilizer—the tail fin—sheared off in flight, forcing the crew to make a wild emergency landing.The B-52 immediately set course back for Boeing's headquarters in Wichita, where engineers back at the company recommended the rear landing gear be lowered, as that would help compensate for the loss of the stabilizer.
Any drag behind the bomber's centre of gravity would help stabilize the plane.The plane landed with nearly all engines at idle, air brakes on. As it approached the landing strip, the crew noticed the B-52 drifting left and decided to put the plane down before other low-speed adverse effects became apparent. The emergency drag chute was deployed at 130 knots and the plane came to a stop.In all, the B-52H flew for five hours without a tail fin. Instrument data revealed that the plane had been subjected to "gust loads greater than any previously recorded by a large aircraft."As a result of the incident, the B-52H airframe was strengthened to deal with future gust load turbulence.
For more like this subscribe https://youtube.com/?si=X0vbzHtc9-Gx9NTN