Washington - According to media reports Wednesday, the U.S. army accidentally loaded five nuclear warheads on a B-52 bomber which was flown from Minot Air Force Base In North Dakota to Barksdale Air Force base late last Thursday.
The warheads were mounted on the planes wings, reported the Army Times.
There were no incidents in the 3-hour cross country flight.
The crew was unaware that the plane was carrying nuclear weapons, the paper said.
Army officials first learned of the mistake when the plane landed landed at Barksdal.
According to military officials, the five nukes were never armed.
According to Lt. Col. Ed Thomas the U.S. military does not usually discuss nuclear weapons procedures, but in this case made an exception to reassure the public.
“Air Force standards are very exacting when it comes to munitions handling,” Thomas said. “The weapons were always in our custody and there was never a danger to the American public.”
The warheads were among 400 missiles to be decommissioned.
Because of the seriousness of the incident, U.S. President Bush was notified.
Officials at Minot Air Force Base have since done an inventory check and reassure people that all remaining weapons are accounted for.
A full review is now underway.
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