The blast had enough force to blow off the 740-ton silo door of reinforced concrete and steel, turning the silo to rubble, according to Air Force spokesmen. The tool fell 70 feet bounced off the missile's thrust mount and punctured the first stage of the missile's 10,000-gallon fuel tank.Īs maintenance men struggled to neutralize the leak, hauling a truckload of bleach to the site in the hope of stopping any chemical reaction between the fuel and the oxidizer, the volatile fuel exploded. Hours before the explosion, one member of the Air Force mantenance crew - performing what Air Force officials called "routine" mantenance - dropped a three-pound wrench socket from scaffolding inside the silo. Air Force inspectors said they had found no evidence of damage to the weapon, or any radiation leaks.Īuthorities here, 52 miles north of Little Rock, evacuated an area that stretched 10 miles north of the silo and five miles on either side, rousting about 1,400 people from bed in Damascus and from nearby towns of Bee Branch and Gravesville. The powerful nuclear warhead atop the 103-foot-long intercontinental ballistic missile was catapulted out of the silo and landed about 200 yards away in nearby woods. An explosion that lit up the night sky like daylight destroyed an underground Titan II missile silo here early today, killing one airman, injuring at least 21 others and sending rural residents fleeing for safety.
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