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Ex-US Soldiers Nearing Resolution of Claims From 1966 Palomares Accident

Graham'¯Keeley'¯

   MADRID - After 55 years, a group of U.S. veterans may be closer to
   securing disability benefits denied to them following a Cold War-era
   accident they say has now left them with serious medical conditions.

   The accident involved the collision of two U.S. aircraft over Palomares
   in southern Spain and the ensuing discharge of radioactive materials
   from hydrogen bombs.

   On January 17, 1966, a B-52 left a U.S. base in North Carolina on an
   airborne alert mission called Operation Chrome Dome. The flight path
   took the aircraft east across the Atlantic Ocean'¯and Mediterranean Sea
   toward the eastern borders of the Soviet Union. The lengthy mission
   required two refueling flights over Spain.

   During refueling, the B-52, which was carrying four hydrogen bombs as
   part of its payload, collided with the refueling tanker over Palomares,
   a rural area where locals lived off agriculture. The tanker was
   completely destroyed when its fuel load ignited, killing all four crew
   members onboard. The B-52 broke apart, leaving three of the seven crew
   members dead.'¯The others ejected.'¯'¯

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