1956 – False Alarm During the Suez Crisis

• The U.S. misinterpreted multiple unrelated events (e.g., swans mistaken for aircraft, routine Soviet maneuvers) as signs of an imminent Soviet attack.
• The situation nearly led to a NATO nuclear strike before the confusion was resolved.

1957 – Kirtland Air Force Base Accident

• A B-36 bomber accidentally dropped a nuclear bomb near Albuquerque, New Mexico.
• The bomb lacked its fissile core but still exploded, creating a crater 12 feet deep.

1983 – Soviet False Alarm

• Soviet early warning systems detected incoming U.S. missiles—except they weren’t real.
• Officer Stanislav Petrov judged it a false alarm and chose not to report it as an attack, likely preventing nuclear retaliation.

2007 – Minot Air Force Base Incident

• Six nuclear warheads were mistakenly loaded onto a B-52 and flown across the U.S. without proper authorization or security.
• The error went unnoticed for over 36 hours.

2025

• In 2025, a Category A nuclear incident occurred at HMNB Clyde (Faslane), Scotland—classified as having “actual or high potential for radioactive release.”
• The Ministry of Defence confirmed the event but withheld details for national security reasons. It was one of several serious safety breaches at the site.