After a Zuni rocket detonated under a plane's wing, the ensuing fire touched off more munitions, blowing holes in the flight deck that allowed burning jet fuel to enter the ship.

On January 14, 1969 Enterprise was off the coast of Hawaii conducting a final battle drill and Operational Readiness Inspection (ORI) before steaming for Vietnam.

The exhaust from an MD-3A "Huffer", a tractor-mounted unit used to start aircraft, heated one of the Zunis until it exploded, detonating its 15-pound (6.8 kg) warhead of Composition B explosive.

About one minute later, three more Zuni rockets exploded; these blasts blew holes into the flight deck, allowing the burning jet fuel to pour into the level below.

[6] About three minutes after the initial explosion, a bomb exploded on the burning Phantom, blowing a hole in the flight deck that measured about 8 by 7 feet (2.4 by 2.1 m).

This blast tore a hole into the flight deck about 18 by 22 feet (5.5 by 6.7 m) in diameter and ruptured a 6,000-US-gallon (23 m3) fuel tank mounted on a KA-3B tanker aircraft; the ensuing fireball spread the fire farther.

[4] Investigators also determined that an airman had observed the exhaust and had raised concerns about the placement of the huffer, but personnel were involved in other tasks and may not have completely understood what was being said due to the ambient noise on the flight deck.

They also recommended educating flight deck personnel on ordnance cook-off temperatures and times, and increasing the length of the hose that delivers the air from the huffer to the aircraft.

Investigators also recommended cross-training shipboard dentists as anesthetists, as one had been assigned to Enterprise which allowed the medical department to perform additional emergency surgery during the fire.