‘Bent Spear’ at Missile Silo in Colorado

An unspecified accident happened on May 17, 2014, at a silo containing an LGM-30 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile. The silo, Juliet-07, is west of Peetz, Colorado and controlled by the 320th Missile Squadron, 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

I was stationed at Warren in the late 70s and early 80s.

The missile became non-operational during a diagnostic test during May 16, 2014. The next morning a three-man crew failed to follow technical guidelines during troubleshooting efforts causing severe damaging the missile.

The amount of damage’s estimated to be around $1.8 million, but no further details are being disclosed. No one was injured and the accident poses no risk to public safety, while an Accident Investigation Board is scheduled to look into the incident.

The U.S. Air Force has 450 Minutemen III missiles controlled by Warren AFB, Malmstrom AFB in Montana, and Minot AFB in North Dakota. They’re housed in hardened silos and connected to an underground launch control where crews are on standby around-the-clock.