On this day in aviation history: In 1964 a BUFF loses her tail. Boeing test pilot Charles F. “Chuck” Fisher and his crew were conducting routine structural testing in turbulent air near East Spanish Peak, Colorado in a Boeing B-52H Stratofortress. Little did the crew know that their day was about to get “interesting.” The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress had been designed as a high altitude penetration bomber, but changes in Soviet defensive systems led to a change to very low altitude flight as a means of evading radar. This was subjecting the airframes to unexpected stresses. The B-52 on the flight this day had been returned to Boeing Wichita by the Air Force to be used to investigate the effects of high-speed, low-altitude flight on the 245-ton bomber. Flying at 14,300 feet and 397 miles per hour, the airplane encountered severe clear air turbulence and lost the vertical stabilizer. Test pilot “Chuck” Fisher immediately took control of the B-52. He later reported, “As the encounter progressed, [we felt] a very sharp- edged blow which was followed by many more. We developed an almost instantaneous rate of roll at fairly high rate. The roll was to the far left and the nose was swinging up and to the right at a rapid rate. During the second portion of the encounter, the airplane motions actually seemed to be negating my control inputs. I had the rudder to the firewall, the column in my lap, and full wheel, and I wasn’t having any luck righting the airplane. In the short period after the turbulence I gave the order to prepare to abandon the airplane because I didn’t think we were going to keep it together.” Despite the massive damage, Fisher flew the bomber back to Wichita and was met by an F-100 Super Sabre chase plane. When the extent of the damage was seen, the B-52 was diverted due to the gusty winds in Kansas. Six hours after the damage occurred, “Chuck” Fisher safely landed the airplane at Eaker Air Force Base, Blytheville, Arkansas. He said it was, “the finest airplane I’ve ever flown.” The Stratofortress was repaired and returned to service. It remained active with the United States Air Force until it was placed in storage at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, July 24th 2008.
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 14:00:01 +0000
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