American Air Force Base (SAC) in Sidi Slimane, Morocco. A B-47 nuclear bomber is on ground alert carrying a 10-ton Mark-36 nuclear bomb. It contains piezoelectric crystals that, when the bomb’s nose hits the ground, send an electrical signal that triggers the detonator, creating a deep crater in the ground to destroy fortified underground targets. While accelerating for takeoff, a wheel explodes, triggering a fire that quickly engulfs the kerosene-filled wing. The crew survives, but the plane burns for over two hours. The soldiers and their families flee by car several kilometers from the base into the desert, fearing a nuclear accident. The detonator’s high explosive does not explode but merely burns, and the bomb fuses into a shapeless mass with part of the fuselage. The King of Morocco is informed of the incident, but no information is released to the press.
