The Nation - News from Nov. 5, 1987
Sloppy procedures and inadequate attention to safety guidelines resulted in a launch pad mishap July 13 that destroyed a $12-million rocket fuel tank, according to a NASA accident report. The events that led to the accident have been revealed before by NASA officials but the accident report contains additional findings and recommendations for wide-ranging changes to beef up safety precautions and procedures. The mishap happened at launch complex 36-B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station while engineers were preparing to remove the unfueled second stage of an Atlas-Centaur rocket to fix an engine leak.
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