During the 1950s and 60s, the United States suffered a string of mishaps with nuclear weapons. From lost nukes to accidentally dropping bombs over their own territory, most of these accidents were not serious, posing no threat of detonation. But a couple of them were close shaves. The Goldsboro incident is one of them.

On the night of 23 January 1961, a B-52 Stratofortress bomber patrolling the skies over the Atlantic Ocean developed a fuel leak. The pilots were advised to steer their craft towards Goldsboro, North Carolina, and land at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. While approaching the airfield, the pilots lost control of the airplane and to save themselves had to bail out. Only five managed to successfully parachute out. Three crew members died in the crash.

A historical road marker in the town of Eureka, 3 miles north of the crash site, commemorates the crash. Photo: Kelly Michals/Flickr