Missing nukes found on a B-52?

[Wing Nut]

One does not rise to command the crew of a B-52 by being an idiot.  Quite the opposite, in fact and therein lies the problem.  These people are supposed to be the best of the best, and are handling the most destructive weapons ever created.  There should be no screw ups by these people ever.  Not one...  You don't get to say 'oops' when millions of lives are at stake.  If the mailman delivers a letter to the wrong house, it's no big deal.  If the pizza guy brings you the wrong pizza, you send it back and call HIM an idiot; these guys don't get that luxury.

Read my signature...  It fits perfectly here!  :D

[C]

One does not rise to command the crew of a B-52 by being an idiot.

What was his name? Col (Lt Col) Holland - he came to run a Sqn. From my own experience people can get commands and also be a complete idiot (expletives restrained!). The two aren't mutually exclusive!

I'm just saying that I can see how it can happen through simple mistake, even if the pilots are hightly trained, skilled, and motivated.

Quite - yyou hear of lots of incidents where pins and flags are missed on aircraft walkarounds...

...but these are nuclear missiles, and to miss them in the aircraft's documentation and a walkaround (probably by more than one crewmember independantly) is a little bit more out of the norm, and not good at all.

[Chris_F]

Quite - yyou hear of lots of incidents where pins and flags are missed on aircraft walkarounds...

...but these are nuclear missiles, and to miss them in the aircraft's documentation and a walkaround (probably by more than one crewmember independantly) is a little bit more out of the norm, and not good at all.

Despite the consequences a simple mistake is a simple mistake.  I've driven through red lights before without knowing it only to be told by my passenger what happened.  The act is understandable considering some roads (which have so many lights you can be focusing on the next green one and totally miss the red one right over your car. )  But even though it's a simple mistake the result could be death.

I'm not saying that the pilot shouldn't be punished.  He along with everyone else bearing responsibility for these devices should be punished.

The problem here though is one of process.  Relying on people to execute a process flawlessly will always result in instances of error.  People simply make mistakes.  Try however to plug your TV antenna in to the wall socket accidently.  It can't be done because it just don't fit.  Imagine how many people would accidently fry themselves and their TV if it COULD be plugged in.  There's an example of a process that doesn't rely on people to do the right thing and therefore always produces the right result.  If only the military were as smart as the people who make TVs about this kind of thing...

[Mushroom_Farmer]

Despite the consequences a simple mistake is a simple mistake.  I've driven through red lights before without knowing it only to be told by my passenger what happened.

Well, that's kind of the point to all this. You missed seeing the light, but your passenger caught it. The system has a long line of built in safeguards to prevent such an episode. There had to be many succesive blunders to let this happen that it boggles the mind. So many brains and pairs of eyes and not one functioning correctly. The particular unit involved happen doesn't have the best performance record either.

[C]

Good too hear that those responsible and others involved have received suitable action against them.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7053898.stm