This one wasn't in flight, but it involved airplanes....
In 1982 Griffiss Air Force Base was to be the first SAC base to deploy to ready status B-52s with Air Launched Cruse Missiles (ALCM).
The Soviets called this "provocative."
That was code for
"We haven't figured out how to counter that yet..."
Anyway, the ALCM was a single jet engine flying bomb with a W-80 warhead up front. In those pre-GPS days, the ALCM used on board terrain following radar to fly low (75') off the deck along a pre-determined path to pre-selected targets. Eight ALCMs "clipped" into a rotary launcher, mounted on each wing of a B-52H model (good view
here)
The B-52s on alert sat on the far east end of GAFB on the ready Pad (crews were on standby ready to run and gun if "the balloon went up").
I was a Nuclear Weapons Tech, and so part of my job (under "other duties as assigned") was to drive a rotary launcher over to the pre-ready apron for loading on a B-52 that was going to go on alert.
The Weapon Storage Area (WSA) at Griffiss was on a little ridge north of the runway. The WSA was being enlarged to handle all the new ordnance, but in the meantime we still used the access road that went straight out the WSA front gate, down a small hill, across the single active runway, and then from there along taxiways to the load-ready a/c. (see Google Earth view of Griffiss
here. WSA is on northeast side of runway. There are still two roads leading from the WSA to runway. The on in this story is the one that goes straight -- the angled one wasn't completed until after this story).
It was mid-winter, cold, snow, ice -- normal Griffiss weather! We were doing a "generation (when every bird is loaded with live ordnance as if tensions were heightened and we were about to go to war). These things seemed to only happen at night, in winter -- of course at Griffiss it was "night" and "winter" about 7 months of the year.
I was driving a C
oleman tug, trailing 40,000 pounds of trailer and launcher loaded with 8 ALCMs. My "security" on this movement was a Peacekeeper vehicle in front, a "6 pack" pickup behind, and a very nervous, very quiet female Airman weighed down with helmet, flak vest, extra rounds, and Remington Wingmaster shotgun in the passenger seat.
When we got to the top of the hill the Peacekeeper veered left and did road security.
The snow was flying, it was dark, and we got the OK from the tower to cross the active to Taxiway Alpha. I looked both ways (habit), released the air brake (small lever down on the left that controlled the trailer brakes), and then released the Coleman brake.
We started rolling down the hill, but a bit too fast for me. I was pumping the brakes but could feel the trailer pushing us -- a jackknife would NOT be good.. so I let it roll just enough so we rolled straight.
Then tower came on --
"Hold there, convoy 6, inbound traffic..."
I hit the brakes (we were going maybe 5 MPH).
Nothing.
I applied full trailer brakes.
Nothing.
"Hang on."
She looked at me then straight ahead.
"Tower -- we're sliding down this hill - we can't stop!"
She started screaming.
Tower:
"Hold for Inbound traffic!!"
In the darkness to my left I see LOTS of lights VERY close, moving VERY fast -- a B-52 about to touchdown.
I looked ahead at the remaining road before we hit the runway -- not much left.
We kept sliding. I had to let the Coleman roll or we'd jackknife and I'd lose all control.
40,000 pounds on ice does what it wants. The road had been plowed -- in the afternoon, probably eight hours earlier -- but in the meantime a thin layer of snow had fallen and by now was compressed into black ice.
At the bottom the hill levels off before crossing the runway. About 20' from the runway's edge lights the Coleman's tires began to grip, I felt the trailer jerk us back, at the same moment I saw a B-52 wingtip flash by, and then drogue chutes.
I released the brakes, we kept rolling, and made it to mid-runway before I heard tower say,
"You are supposed to hold!"
I replied,
"I'm crossing this runway!"
Security lights flashed behind us, I gunned it, we crossed the runway, and I drove it to the waiting bird.
I stopped it, and sat for a bit, with hardly enough energy left to actually open the door. She got out (I never saw her again -- no idea where she went).
Some Captain drove up in a car with a flashing yellow light and asked me what happened. I told him they should fire to idiot in the tower, and then told him what happened.
I didn't hear much more about it. Whenever there was an incident that could have been a Bent Spear or Broken Arrow, we all seemed to hush up about it.
There wasn't sufficient altitude to make it back to the runway so we "landed out" going downwind at what seemed a billion MPH. Anyone who has been in that area knows that the desert isn't exactly devoid of plant life, and the mesquite did a good job of slowing us down 
. Unfortunately we hit a little ditch which caused the groudloop, and subsequent tail boom damage.
.
Glad it's flying again 
