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On 24 January 1963 a United States Air Force Boeing B-52C Stratofortress with nine crew members on board lost its vertical stabilizer due to buffeting stresses during turbulence at low altitude and crashed on Elephant Mountain in Piscataquis County, Maine, United States, six miles (9.7 km) from Greenville. The pilot and the navigator survived the accident.〔(B-52C 53-0406 Elephant Mountain 1963 ), Aviation Archaeology in Maine〕 ==Training mission== The crew's training mission was called a ''Terrain Avoidance Flight'' to practice techniques to penetrate ''Advanced Capability Radar'' (ACR) undetected by Soviet air defense during the Cold War. ACR training flights had already been made over the West Coast of the United States on ''Poker Deck'' routes. This was to be the first low level navigation flight, utilizing terrain following radar, in the Eastern United States.〔〔(Ride will honor victims of B-52 crash ), ''The Portland Press Herald''〕 The crew, consisting of two 99th Bombardment Wing Standardization Division crews based at Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts, and two instructors from the 39th Bombardment Squadron, 6th Strategic Aerospace Wing at Walker Air Force Base, New Mexico, was briefed for six hours the day before the accident. They had the choice of flying over either the Carolinas or Maine.〔 The B-52C departed Westover AFB at 12:11 p.m. on Thursday, 24 January 1963, and was scheduled to return to Westover at 5:30 p.m.〔Ferland Jr., Durward J. (The B-52 Crash on Elephant Mountain Maine ). The Moosehead Lake Region Resource Guide.〕 The crew spent the first 95 minutes of the flight calibrating their equipment. Upon receiving updated weather information for both available routes they chose the northern one. They were supposed to begin their low level simulated penetration of enemy airspace just south of Princeton, Maine, near West Grand Lake. From there, they would head north to Millinocket and fly over the mountains in the Jo-Mary/Greenville area. They planned to turn northeast near Seboomook Lake and southeast near Caucomgomoc Lake to proceed through the mountains of northern Baxter State Park. After crossing Traveler Mountain, the aircraft was supposed to climb back to altitude over the Houlton VOR Station.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「1963 Elephant Mountain B-52 crash」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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