Apollo 1 Command Module Flash Fire - Cape Canaveral Air Force Station - Famous Fires on Waymarking.com

On January 27, 1967 at 5:31 p.m. CST (6:31 local time) during a routine simulated launch test conducted here at Launch Complex 34 the crew of Apollo 1 (AS-204) perished in their command module in an oxygen fire.

The Crew Who Were Lost:
Lieutenant Colonel, Virgil I. Grissom USAF.
Lieutenant Colonel, Edward H. White II USAF.
Lieutenant Colonel, Roger B. Chaffee USAF.

The location of the fire was on this launch pad, designated Pad 34-A (7). The launch vehicle involved was a Saturn -1B AS-204 (4) rocket.

A flash fire occurred in command module 012 during a launch pad test of the Apollo/Saturn space vehicle being prepared for the first piloted flight, the AS-204 mission. Three astronauts, Lt. Col. Virgil I. Grissom, a veteran of Mercury and Gemini missions; Lt. Col. Edward H. White, the astronaut who had performed the first United States extravehicular activity during the Gemini program; and Roger B. Chaffee, an astronaut preparing for his first space flight, died in this tragic accident. The Apollo 204 accident was a tragic event in the nation's space program.

After the tragic fire NASA initiated a full investigation led by Dr. Floyd L. Thompson. The results of the investigation drove specific recommendations leading to major design and engineering modifications, and revisions to test planning, test discipline, manufacturing processes and procedures, and quality control. With these changes, the overall safety of the command and service module and the lunar module was increased substantially. The AS-204 mission was redesignated Apollo I in honor of the crew.

The Apollo 1 (SA-204) flash fire is one of the most tragic events of the early space program. NASA had aggressively marketed the space program throughout America by presenting the three astronauts slated for the first manned flight of the Apollo program. Many American’s personally met these brave men at county fairs and public relation events designed to generate support for the space program. America was stunned to learn of their tragic death and many felt they had lost not just their hero but a close friend or neighbor.

To access this location you must purchase an admission ticket to the Kennedy Space Center and then purchase a guided tour ticket for the “Then and Now Tour” Total adult ticket cost is $80.21 as of October 2012.

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Type of Structure: other Other: Space Vehicle Construction Date: 01/01/1966 Fire Date: 01/27/1967 Structure status: Plaque Cause of Fire: The Review Board was not able to determine conclusively the specific initiator of the Apollo 204 fire, it identified the conditions that led to the disaster. These conditions were: 1: A sealed cabin, pressurized with an oxygen atmosphere. 2: An extensive distribution of combustible materials in the cabin. 3: Vulnerable wiring carrying spacecraft power. 4: Vulnerable plumbing carrying a combustible and corrosive coolant. 5: Inadequate provisions for the crew to escape. 6: Inadequate provisions for rescue or medical assistance. The Review Board of the Apollo accident determined that the test conditions at the time of the accident were "extremely hazardous." However, the test was not recognized as being hazardous by either NASA or the contractor prior to the accident. Consequently, adequate safety precautions were neither established nor observed for this test. Documentation of the fire: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log User Rating   01/06/2012 PersonsMD visited it