None of those bombs were armed at the time of the accident, but explosive material in two of the devices still exploded upon impact when they hit the ground, leading to massive craters and the spread of toxic, radioactive plutonium dust. U.S. Maj. Gen. Delmar Wilson, who was tasked with responding to the Palomares incident, later told the BBC: “I believe what happened was the bomber was closing at a too-high rate of closure speed and he didn’t stabilize his position, with the result that they got too close and collided.” Witnesses were horrified to see the collision of the B-52 and the KC-135 — and the devastation that followed on the ground.
Author: Ainsley Brown
Published at: 2026-01-14 00:00:00
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