Just before 6 o'clock on the evening of Sept. 1, the Air Force's weather forecast was justified; across Carswell Air Force Base at Fort Worth, Texas rolled a thunderstorm. Comfortably indoors, or away on holiday pursuits, the command did not worry about the reason for the base's existence: its mighty 6-36 intercontinental bombers were snugly tied down on the flying line, and in windblown Texas they had stayed safe in gales of 60 m.p.h. Then, without warning, the big storm hit.
The⅜ tiedown cables holding the planes snapped like twine, and the...
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