Nuclear Missile Malfunction: Into the Silo…

September 9, 2026 · 49 min · Season 1 · Episode 163

About this episode

The episode recounts a critical incident in 1980 when a technician responds to a nuclear missile fuel leak threat in Arkansas.

A young technician is called into action when the USA is threatened with nuclear disaster. In September 1980, Greg Devlin receives an emergency call from his commanding officer in the US Air Force. There’s been a potentially catastrophic fuel leak at a missile silo near Damascus, Arkansas. If the fuel ignites, it could conceivably cause the warhead to detonate, triggering a nuclear explosion right in the very heart of America. Greg and his colleagues must do all they can to try to contain the leak. The stakes could not be higher… A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. Written by Joe Viner | Produced by Ed Baranski | Assistant Producer: Luke Lonergan | Production Assistant: Chris McDonald | Exec produced by Joel Duddell | Sound Supervisor: Matt Peaty | Sound design by Jacob Booth | Assembly edit by Rob Plummer | Compositions by Oliver Baines, Dorry Macaulay, Tom Pink | Mix & mastering: Ralph Tittley. For ad-free listening, bonus material and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+. Click the subscription banner at the top of the feed to get started. Or go to noiser.com/subscriptions If you have an amazing survival story of your own that you’d like to put…

People in this episode

Host: John Hopkins

Topics covered

nuclear disaster
military
emergency response
survival
technology
history

Keywords

nuclear missile
fuel leak
emergency call
US Air Force
survival story
catastrophic event
Damascus Arkansas

Mentioned in this episode

Places: USA, Damascus, Arkansas