[chris]

Atlas-Centaur 5 lifted off on March 2, 1965, but its booster engines shut down less than two seconds later.

The postflight investigation found that the booster fuel prevalves opened only partially. Propellant flow then pushed the valves shut, starving the booster engines of RP-1 and causing a LOX-rich shutdown. The low-pressure booster fuel ducting collapsed from the sudden loss of fuel flow but did not rupture.

Engine start was normal, and the other booster and launch vehicle systems functioned properly until the prevalves closed.