Incident
On a winter day in 1964, a United States military B-52 bomber encountered severe turbulence while flying near Savage Mountain. The aircraft's vertical stabilizer separated from the airframe during the storm, leading to the loss of control and subsequent crash. The bomber was carrying two nuclear bombs as part of a Cold War airborne alert mission.
Wreckage and Recovery
The crash site was located in a remote, mountainous area. Upon inspection, a later U.S. Department of Defense summary reported that the two nuclear bombs were found "relatively intact in the middle of the wreckage." The 28th Ordnance Detachment, based at Fort Meade, was dispatched to secure the site and the weapons. After securing the area, the bombs were removed from the wreckage and transported to the Cumberland Municipal Airport two days later. The condition of the aircraft and the details of the recovery operation were not further specified in the summary.