The U.S. Air Force has released a redacted report into an accident F.E. Warren Air Force Base on May 16, 2014 which resulted in $1.8 million in damage to a nuclear-tipped Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile.
By Staff Sgt. Jonathan Snyder [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
The missile, designated Juliet-07, “became non-operational” during a diagnostic test on that day.
On the next day, the crew that was sent to fix the problem, “did not correctly adhere to technical guidance” during troubleshooting efforts, “subsequently damaging the missile,” the U.S. Air Force summary said.
Investigators found four contributing factors to the accident. One was that the leader of the team had failed to follow technical guidance. The same person also “lacked the necessary proficiency level” to anticipate the consequences of his actions during the troubleshooting.
Two other factors were not revealed.