No, the pressure of the motor leaked past the forward closure and pressurized the volume immediately forward of the motor. That forced the motor back (and the rocket vehicle upward) like a piston against the retainer which then failed in tension (not shear) allowing the motor to strike the blast deflector which caused the ding you noted on the aft closure.
Thats what I believe anyway.
One question: was the forward closure still screwed tightly in the case when you first examined it?
Steve Shannon
Tim, was it you who unscrewed the forward closure? Do you know the answer to Steve's question?
It was not me who removed the motor nor did I unscrew anything. All I did was help get it off the rail. You and Steve (stevethecontractor on TRF) were working on it & I really don't remember. I thought the motor came out of rocket without the FWRD closure attached but can't say for sure. You or Steve may have tried unscrewing it but can't say for sure. All I remember was that the case seemed stuck in the MMT. The threads all looked fine. Have you tried assembling the case to see if threads are still good?