Maine B-52 Crash Sees 50 Year Memorial Day 2013 Celebration For Survivors

A Maine B-52 crash from 1963 is seeing the survivors united for a 50 year memorial.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the seat from the Maine B-52 crash was recently found in the woods, which gives you an idea how bad the accident was.

The Maine B-52 crash occurred during a Cold War training mission with Lt. Col. Dan Bulli piloting the massive B-52 bomber. Turbulence shook the B-52 so violently that Bulli couldn’t fly properly:

“The instrument panel was vibrating so badly that I couldn’t read the dials. I couldn’t interpret the radar returns because it was juggling so bad. It was the worst turbulence I had ever encountered.”

Bulli tried pulling back on the yoke to push towards clear skies, but a loud bang ended that hope when the stabilizer went out.

The Maine B-52 crash only gave the crew seconds to jump to safety while the bomber was nosing down to the ground at 325 MPH. The reason for such deadly timing was because the crew was learning to use terrain avoidance radar, designed to help the pilot fly at treetop level to deliver a nuclear strike. Thus they were not at the usual high altitudes.

Only three people, including the pilot, were able to eject upwards to safety. The rest of the crew was forced to eject downward or simply bail out. The Maine B-52 crash occurred at a mountainside. The pilot survived along with a training instructor named Adler, but six crewmembers died when bailing out and the co-pilot slammed into a tree. Adler suffered from a parachute failure in his ejection seat, but the deep snow softened the landing enough to save his life.

The two men were separated on the mountainside, not knowing if anyone else had survived the Maine B-52 crash. The pair had to wait 20 hours in frigid conditions until rescuers could dig them out. Adler was the worst off and ended up having his leg amputated at a hospital.

Adler and Bulli survived the Maine B-52 crash and pursued successful careers. Adler became a lawyer and Bulli continued flying, retiring as a colonel in the Air Force.

Memorial Day 2013 is seeing the survivors of the Maine B-52 crash reunite with the rescuers. Adler explained how he wants the Maine B-52 crash to be remembered this Memorial Day:

“Deaths don’t always occur in combat. This is a noncombat situation, a combat simulation. That’s why we were down so low. And seven men died. And people die all the time, and it’s not just Vietnam, or Korea or World War II. Just give thanks that people are willing to give a portion of their lives over to help serve their country.”