scope:

Description of Driving Event:

On November 8, 1985, the forward center segment of a solid rocket motor (SRM) was damaged during forward handling ring removal operations. During the operation leading to this incident, the crane operator was attempting to raise the hook until a load of 11,000 pounds was attained, but the load cell read zero until the segmented ring fractured and the crane was stopped. The load cell system was provided with the crane, but the requirement for its usage is not clear. Loadcell usage is not mentioned in the crane OMRSD nor is it mentioned in the system assurance analysis (SAA).