B-52 Crew Flies Six Hours with Almost No Tail

A B-52 Stratofortress bomber flew into severe clear-air turbulence in January 1964, losing nearly 83% of its vertical stabilizer. The Boeing test crew, led by pilot Charles 'Chuck' Fisher, managed to keep the aircraft airborne for six hours using differential engine thrust and other improvised techniques.

The crew had never practiced this level of airmanship before, as there was no simulator training available for such an extreme situation. They used the bomber's eight engines, ailerons, and airbrakes to control yaw, making tiny adjustments to keep the aircraft flying straight.

After six hours, the B-52 landed safely at Blytheville Air Force Base in Arkansas. The incident led to changes in the design of the fin attachment on production B-52s, increasing their load tolerance and ensuring that similar incidents would be less likely to occur.