B 52 Bomber Emergency Landing --With a Blown Off Tail Rudder!

In January of 1964, as part of missions to conduct testing on wind gusts and shear, a B 52 heavy bomber flying along the East side of the Rockies had it’s entire rudder blown off. Unbelievably, the pilots and crew kept their cool and managed to fly and land the plane some 500 miles away in Arkansas. From this exercise the engineers at Boeing knew they had to take steps to reinforce the tail section. Still, it remains as a testament to Air Force flying skill.