4. A Californian trailer park was nearly destroyed by a crashing bomber
On August 5, 1950, a USAF B-29 bomber traveling from Fairfield-Suisun Air Force Base, California, to Guam suffered critical malfunctions with two of the propellers soon after launch. The bomber was carrying a Mark 4 nuclear bomb, albeit absent the plutonium core which was being transported on a separate plane. Having retracted the landing gear during take-off the bomber returned to Fairfield-Suisun and unsuccessfully attempted an emergency landing, crashing in the effort near a trailer park occupied by 200 families.
The wreckage subsequently caught fire and although rescue and air base personnel fought the blaze for between twelve to fifteen minutes, they were ultimately ineffective as the bomber’s 10,000-12,500 lbs of conventional explosives detonated on the ground. The resultant blast was felt as far away as 30 miles from the crash site, and created a crater measuring 20 yards across and 6 feet deep. The explosion also killed 19 people, including Brigadier General Robert F. Travis, the bomber’s command pilot in whose honor the Air Base was renamed in 1951. Additionally, the crash and resultant explosion injured around 60 others.