scope:

Description of Driving Event:

The X-33 STA tank was sent from Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), Huntsville, Alabama, to NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio via commercial ground carrier. The carrier and the project team at GRC planned the route and coordinated it with the Department of Transportation of every state the carrier was to pass through. The truck carrying the tank left on June 24, 1999. On Sunday, June 27, 1999 the truck failed to clear an underpass in West Virginia. The tank was hit on the upper corner on the driver's side. Some insulation was damaged and some bolts were sheared.

At the time of the incident, the truck was following a lead truck with a frame that simulated the configuration of the tank in the main truck. The vehicles were traveling at 5 miles per hour at the time of impact. This particular underpass was not considered a problem in the original plan.

Based on the information collected by the investigation team, it is the team's conclusion that the driver of the main truck failed to follow the lead vehicle in a manner that would allow it to clear the underpass safely.