The Greenland Nuclear Accident of 1968

 

On January 21, 1968, a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber, part of the Cold War airborne alert mission, crashed near Thule Air Base in Greenland, scattering radioactive material from four thermonuclear bombs across the Arctic ice. The incident, known as the Thule Affair, began when a cabin fire forced the seven crew members to eject. Six survived, but co-pilot Captain Leonard Svitenko perished.

The plane slammed into sea ice at high speed, detonating the conventional explosives in the B28FI hydrogen bombs. While nuclear safety features prevented a full detonation, the crash released plutonium and other radioactive contaminants over several square miles, creating an environmental hazard.

In response, the U.S. launched a massive cleanup involving hundreds of American and Danish personnel. Over nine months, they removed 10,500 tons of contaminated ice and debris, shipping it to the U.S. for disposal. Controversy arose over a potentially lost bomb component in the ocean, raising long-term radiation concerns.

The accident exposed secret U.S. nuclear overflights, straining relations with Denmark, which banned nuclear weapons on its soil.

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