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Today in History: U.S. Bomber Loses Nuclear Bomb in Mid-Air Collision

2/5/2026

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Summary

Story summary

On February 5, 1958, a U.S. Air Force B-47 bomber jettisoned a Mark 15 nuclear bomb into the waters off Tybee Island, Georgia, following a mid-air collision with an F-86 fighter jet during a night training exercise. The bomb, weighing 7,600 pounds, was never recovered and remains lost.

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Story summary

On February 5, 1958, a U.S. Air Force B-47 bomber jettisoned a Mark 15 nuclear bomb into the waters off Tybee Island, Georgia, following a mid-air collision with an F-86 fighter jet during a night training exercise. The bomb, weighing 7,600 pounds, was never recovered and remains lost.