An SR-71 Blackbird Fell 65,000 Feet in Under Two Minutes Toward the Barents Sea Off Russia in 1984 After Both Engines Quit at 83,000 Feet, and the Crew Relit Them at 18,000 Feet

An SR-71 Blackbird Fell 65,000 Feet in Under Two Minutes Toward the Barents Sea Off Russia in 1984 After Both Engines Quit at 83,000 Feet, and the Crew Relit Them at 18,000 Feet

Summary and Key Points: In the summer of 1984, SR-71 Blackbird 61-7974 suffered a double engine unstart at 83,000 feet off Murmansk while Soviet SA-5 radars tracked it, and fell 65,000 feet in under two minutes toward the Barents Sea. Pilot Maj. Joseph Matthews relit both J58 engines by hand at 18,000 feet; a KC-135Q […]