1980 Damascus Titan missile explosion
1980 Damascus Titan missile explosion | |
| Coordinates | 35°14′42″N 92°14′06″W / 35.245°N 92.235°W |
|---|---|
| NRHP reference No. | 98001434 |
| Added to NRHP | February 18, 2000 |
The Damascus Titan missile explosion (also called the Damascus accident) was a 1980 U.S. nuclear weapons incident involving an U.S. Air Force LGM-25C Titan II intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at Missile Complex 374-7 in rural Arkansas. The incident began with a fuel leak at 6:30 p.m. CDT on September 18, and culminated with an explosion inside the missile silo at around 3:00 a.m. on September 19. The 9-megatonne-of-TNT (38 PJ) W-53 nuclear warhead was ejected and landed a short distance away and no radioactive material was lost.