The Russian R-16 Nedelin Disaster: An Historical Analysis of Failed Safety Management

On October 24, 1960, at the USSR's Baikonur Cosmodrome, an electrical malfunction led to the deadliest launch accident in space industry history. Shortly before a test launch of the first Soviet R-16 intercontinental rocket, the second stage engines prematurely ignited, detonating the first stage fuel tanks. We hypothesize that the primary contributing factor to the tragedy was a systemic flaw in safety management caused by cultural and political values. Through the use of interviews, literature, and a chronology of the events leading up to the failure, an interpretive analysis identifying contributing factors to the disaster was conducted. This study found that cultural and political influences were primary causes to the loss and also led to a safety management environment that continued to threaten the success and integrity of aerospace development in the USSR and other space-faring countries.