As reported today by the BBC, who beat out American media on the story, last week a B-52 Stratofortress loaded with five nuclear-tipped cruise missiles. Apparently the crew "mistakenly" loaded the bomber with the missiles, en route to Louisiana from an air base in North Dakota. That is one long flight.

There should be no doubt that, despite all the procedures and failsafes that are in place regarding nuclear weapons, human error is a factor that simply cannot be discounted, to say nothing of mechanical failure. During the Cold War, the US lost at least 11 nuclear warheads into the world's oceans, on top of possibly another 40 from the Soviet Union. Perhaps fifty nuclear warheads, rusting in the salt water, all around the globe.

For an astoundingly thorough accounting of nuclear accidents, read this site, hosted by the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility. Perhaps most illustrative of the possibility of these accidents would be the 1968 crash at Thule, Greenland.

Another B-52, much like the one at left, was on patrol against Soviet attack, fully armed with four nuclear weapons. A fire erupted in the cabin, forcing the crew to bail out, sending the bomber into the ice and snow below, where it exploded. The bombs were broken open, with radioactive material spread across a wide area. Allegedly, only three of the warheads were recovered, which leaves one somewhere on the ocean floor near the Greenland coast. I also recommend reading about the Palomares incident. Or even better, read about Stanislav Petrov, the man who likely singlehandedly saved the world in 1983. In all likelihood, you are only alive today because he made the choice he did.

Clearly, it's not without precedent. Failsafes and systems are only as good as the people that design and implement them, and obviously, mistakes happen. However, with something as serious as nuclear weapons and radioactive material, the margin for error is virtually nil. But oh, that margin of error is there. Midwestern America, thank your lucky stars that plane made it home safely, and here's hoping those bombs won't be making their way north on the I-55 anytime soon.