Overview
- The SR‑71’s 1976 absolute speed of 2,193.167 mph still stands in the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale records and is a focal point of the current coverage.
- Crew accounts recount a July 29, 1968 flight in which SR‑71A 61‑7960 suffered a catastrophic right‑engine failure at Mach 2.88 and 68,000 feet but was controlled and landed at Carswell AFB with both crew members surviving.
- Pilots later described a May 13, 1984 Andrews AFB takeoff when 61‑7960’s right engine broke apart, forcing fuel dump and creating flaming debris that started a grass fire near the runway, though contemporaneous reports vary on the fire’s scale.
- A 1973 positioning flight generated a long sonic‑boom carpet from Indiana to New York that prompted some observers to suggest a meteorite, after which the Air Force rerouted subsequent flights to avoid populated areas.
- The stories are being retold ahead of the Museum of Aviation’s Blackbird Days event on Sept. 24–26, which opens the SR‑71 cockpit to the public and follows recent archival reporting on covert titanium procurement, manufacturing fixes, and the aircraft’s unique fuel and engine systems.