1980 Damascus Titan missile explosion

374-7 is located in the United States
374-7
374-7
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Location in the United States
374-7 is located in Arkansas
374-7
374-7
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Location in Arkansas

The Damascus Titan missile explosion (also called the Damascus accident[1]) was a 1980 U.S. nuclear weapons incident involving a Titan II Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). The incident occurred on September 18–19, 1980, at Missile Complex 374-7 in rural Arkansas when a U.S. Air Force LGM-25C Titan II ICBM loaded with a 9-megaton W-53 nuclear warhead experienced a liquid fuel explosion inside its silo.[2]

The incident began with a fuel leak at 6:30 p.m. on September 18, and culminated with the explosion at around 3:00 a.m. on September 19, ejecting the warhead from its silo.[2] The warhead landed a short distance away and no radioactive material was lost.

Strategic Missile (SM) sites of 373rd & 374th Strategic Missile Squadrons, reporting to the 308th Strategic Missile Wing.
  1. ^ Schlosser, Eric (2013). Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety. Penguin Press. pp. Title. ISBN 978-1594202278.
  2. ^ a b Christ, Mark K.; Arkansas Historic Preservation Program (January 20, 2017). "Titan II Missile Explosion (1980) – Encyclopedia of Arkansas". www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net. Archived from the original on January 21, 2018. Retrieved January 20, 2018.