Every Official “Broken Arrow” Incident
A video looking at the US Department of Defense’s “Narrative Summaries of Accidents Involving US Nuclear Weapons 1950-1980”. Yes, there’s quite a few, unfortunately.
“Broken Arrow refers to an accidental event that involves nuclear weapons, warheads or components that does not create a risk of nuclear war. These include:
Accidental or unexplained nuclear detonation
Non-nuclear detonation or burning of a nuclear weapon
Radioactive contamination
Loss in transit of nuclear asset with or without its carrying vehicle
Jettisoning of a nuclear weapon or nuclear component
Public hazard, actual or implied
Broken Arrow incidents
Main article: List of military nuclear accidents
The US Department of Defense has officially recognized at least 32 “Broken Arrow” incidents. Examples of these events include:
1950 British Columbia B-36 crash
1956 B-47 disappearance
1958 Mars Bluff B-47 nuclear weapon loss incident
1958 Tybee Island mid-air collision
1961 Yuba City B-52 crash
1961 Goldsboro B-52 crash
1964 Savage Mountain B-52 crash
1964 Bunker Hill AFB runway accident
1965 Philippine Sea A-4 incident
1966 Palomares B-52 crash
1968 Thule Air Base B-52 crash
1980 Damascus Titan missile explosion, Arkansas
Unofficially, the Defense Atomic Support Agency (now known as the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA)) has detailed hundreds of “Broken Arrow” incidents.”
More on Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_military_nuclear_incident_terminology
Second Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt93hxFmjppL5nLRAX94UrA
Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/qxir
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/qxir
Twitter: https://twitter.com/QxirYT
Discord: https://discord.gg/jZzvvwJ
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/qxiryt/
Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Qxir/
@Qxir
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
Second Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt93hxFmjppL5nLRAX94UrA
Merch: teespring.com/stores/qxir
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/qxir
Twitter: https://twitter.com/QxirYT
Discord: https://discord.gg/jZzvvwJ
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/qxiryt/
Subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Qxir/
@joshyoung1440
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
1950- 5 incidents
1956- 2 incidents
1957- 3 incidents
1958- 5 incidents
1959- 4 incidents
1960- 1 incident
1961- 2 incidents
1964- 3 incidents
1965- 2 incidents
1966- 1 incident
1968- 2 incidents
1980- 1 incident
I'm not sure why I put this together, just felt like it 😅 if this were a newer video I might go back and list the number of casualties for each one, but… meh.
@CW0123
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
0:36 based if true
@joelsweetland2934
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
The B36 crashed in Northern BC , over 300 miles north of Vancouver Island.
@owenfitzgerald3219
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
Jaysus, these lads aren't capable to handle such dangerous stuff.
@bizmyth-p7s
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
the only word i heard this whole episode was "nukeular"
@thezombiequeen1908
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
Literally right after the part where the family sued for the accidental bomb release I got an ad for an accident law firm.
@tristanphillips8937
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
Every time he says “nukeular” I lose a few brain cells.
@jackson4274
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
How did they think that carrying live nukes above our own country was a good idea
@stephenwright8824
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
Nu-cular is actually a common pronunciation among older Americans, too. That arch-conservative arsehole comedian Dennis Miller even joked about it in one of his routines.
@lanceuppercut1845
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
America!!!
As a Californian I’m not a facist…
Still,
America!!!
@tylerkinley268
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
How nice of the government to allow that farmer to keep the nuclear warhead under his field. Not many property owners can say "hey I've got a nuclear warhead in my field"!
Edit: when you say "have never been recovered", that means to our knowledge. The only thing to stop people or groups from digging these up is resources. If you have the money and time, I'm sure one of them could be recovered today that couldn't be back when it happened.
@bluespinningdotinspace
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
NUCULAR(Love you man)
@mkultra3679
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
Wheres the drawings? 😢
@ray.shoesmith
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
If only America didn't exist the world would be a beautiful place
@Attack-Roomba
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
damn thats a lot of unaccounted-for massive sources of uranium randomly deposited throughout America
@mollymcdade4031
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
That we survived the 1950s at all is astonishing
@leifsvensson-chorin
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
"One of only 2 nuclear submarines the navy has lost"
Yes? Hello? Loosing ONLY 2 nuclear submarines still seems like 2 to many?
@Wavy_Gravy
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
Empty Quiver
@seanog9683
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
Drops socket hears hissing. Ah fuck
@Touma134
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
Definitely prefer your more humorous new style to this one.
@Secret_Takodachi
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
If only the world knew how many "Empty Quiver" incidents we've had. 🤣 Ahh…. they'll never know. And they wouldn't believe the cases if they did hear about them!
@scpjackal1915
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
I don't know what's scarier losing nuclear weapons or that it happens so often there's actually a term for it.
@armorpro573
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
All jokes aside, it's scary how many times the world could've been at catastrophe from all these nuclear mishaps
@jepjep5635
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
Love how you say "mark"😂
@Serenity_Dee
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
10:52 I learned about this particular incident within a couple months of moving to North Carolina. It was more than a little surreal.
@D-Man_Jam
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
good to know our tax dollars were put to good use in the 50s
@crazyleyland5106
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
Glad you mentioned the 1957 bomber crash in the UK. The crew sadly all died- possibly because the firefighters were concentrating on keeping the igloos cool. Panicking US servicemen ordered taxis – "Where do you want to go?" They asked . The Americans replied, "Anywhere!!!"
@mattwilliams4222
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
You'll have that on those big jobs
@Joseteddy-q2w
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
This why im going to vote for trump…😂🎉❤🤧🤒🤕😷😪🤤
@SNO_WYTE_iceLORD
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
Rogue Spear is the most unsettling incident
@SNO_WYTE_iceLORD
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
Broken Arrow is better than a Rogue Spear
@VxStreme
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
Best were those 2 that didn't explode cause 1 of 4 arming device on each didn't trigger and it was different ones that didn't trigger.
@damcmadlad2975
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
0:36 agreed
@angusmatheson8906
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
New klee urhh.
Not niew cue luhrr
@austinknowlton1783
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
I lived near where the Mars Bluff, South Carolina incident happened. He crater is still there.
@bothewolf3466
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
The TST at 1:50 bears no company name on the door. This is a legal requirement generally. Seems like a 'giveaway' SOMETHING is up.
@CaptainDookiepost
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
Wow. And here I thought all this time there was only 2 incidents
@valmarsiglia
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
Fucking hell, B-47s really sucked, huh?
@JohnDoe-sq5nv
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
The consequences of nuclear war have been highly exaggerated.
@scheuclu
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
It’s „nuklear“, bot „nukelar“…
@avi8aviate
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
The only casualty caused by Broken Arrow #8 was a grazing cow. The farmer who owned the cow was compensated for this loss.
@Strange_Armour
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
I wonder if the U.S ever considered lying about having more nuclear weapons instead of building sh💩tloads more after WW2.
( Before anyone can "err actually" I know there was one more standing by after Nagasaki ).
The DoD routinely lie to the public so why not just lie about what they've got? The public would be reassured, the Russians would mind their own business and the money saved could be diverted to something constructive.
@gastroesophagealreflux6285
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
Not recovered means.
We got em but we ain't tellin.
@MrMan-sy4ev
November 24, 2025 at 9:32 pm
I’m betting these broken arrow incidents still happen. They just don’t reveal them until enough time has passed
Comments are closed.