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This Black Vault release contains the Air Force's 2001 response from the 341st Space Wing FOIA office at Malmstrom AFB, Montana, to a request about the 16 March 1967 Echo Flight missile shutdown, with excerpts from 341st Strategic Missile Wing histories covering 1967 to early 1968. The histories say all ten Echo Flight launch facilities lost strategic alert almost simultaneously. Investigators could not find a logical cause and found rumors of UFOs near Echo Flight to be unfounded.
Read from the scan by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word.
DISASTER CONTROL TEAM ACTION REPORT Malmstrom AFB, Montana 1. Reference: AC Form 696, para U. 2. Date of Disaster: 12 January 1967 3. Time of Disaster: Approximately 0910 local 4. Location of Disaster: 341st IKS Munitions Storage Area, building 1840, MK-11 Bay. 5. OPR Submitting Export: 341st JFS Explosive Ordnance Disposal Section 6. Report is complete. 7. Report as follows: Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team Chief - Ross E. Hersman, TSgt, AF 19433151, NCOIC Explosive Ordnance Disposal Section. (1) On 12 January 1967 at approximately 0910 local, the 341st NLRSRV Evaluation Team consisting of TSgt Roy E. Aldridge, AF 19453530 - Team Chief, SSgt William R. Shoemaker, AF 19533767 - Team Member, and SSgt Frank A. Hartin, AF 28718138 - Team Member, was being evaluated by the 3901st while performing dash 1A maintenance on a 256, mod 1 Warhead IAW T.O. 11Nr-561A. During removal of MC1508, the T-290A, serial No. rF-2450-B9, gave an audible alarm, indicating the presence of a hazardous enviroment. This maintenance was being performed in the 341st MKS Munitions Storage Area, building 1840, KK-11 maintenance Bay. The RV maintenance team chief TSgt Aldridge sounded the alarm and the entire area was evacuated. The E.O.D. team consisting of TSgt Kersman, A1C Jackie L. Shreves, AF19681063 and TSgt Robert A. Stoele AF11193215 (3901st EOD) re-entered the area with full protective clothing, a second T-290A, serial No. PF-2132-KE, plastic bags and cotton sacks. The W56, Mod 1 Warhead and the MC1508 was monitored with negative results. Swipe tests were taken from the W56, Mod 1 Warhead and MC1508 IAW T.C. 11A17-1-100-29, para 3-1.1, dtd 18 Feb 65, Chg 10 Oct 66. This information was given to the Wing Command Post. At approximately 1105 local TSgt Kersman, A1C Coyle W. Turner, AF19724121 and Capt. Robert J. Huntsman, FV3112241 (3901st EOD - Observer) re-entered the area with both T-290A's and two PAC-1S's serial No. 4612 and 5518 and remonitored the area. The T290A, serial No. PF-2450-B9 which had been used by the RV maintenance team would not setup IAW T.C. 11N-35-15 and was determined to be inoperative. TSgt Kersman and Capt. Huntsman monitored the KK-11 maintenance bay for alpha contamination with negative results. The second T-290A, serial No PF-2132-K8 was again used, and again a negative indication was received. These actions were reported to the Wing Command Post. All protective clothing was checked for contamination with negative results. The swipe test samples were given to the Bio-environmental Engineer Section to be forwarded to Wright-Patterson AFB for complete evaluation & analysis. Information received from Wright-Patterson indicated that these swipe tests were also negative.
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