The U.S. Navy reported the loss of an
IBIS (In-flight Blade Inspection System) that contained 500 microCuries of
Sr-90. The
IBIS was attached to an USMC aircraft, when the co-pilot's window fell off and struck the blade resulting in the loss of the system. The incident occurred approximately 10 kilometers northeast of Naval Air Station Jacksonville.
The licensee has notified their project manager in Region 1 (Seeley).
THIS MATERIAL EVENT CONTAINS A "LESS THAN CAT 3" LEVEL OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL
Sources that are "Less than
IAEA Category 3 sources," are either sources that are very unlikely to cause permanent injury to individuals or contain a very small amount of radioactive material that would not cause any permanent injury. Some of these sources, such as
moisture density gauges or thickness
gauges that are Category 4, the amount of unshielded radioactive material, if not safely managed or securely protected, could possibly - although it is unlikely - temporarily injure someone who handled it or were otherwise in contact with it, or who were close to it for a period of many weeks. For additional information go to
http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/Pub1227_web.pdf