Lost SR-71 still a mystery of sorts

Loss #12 60-6932 (A-12) This aircraft was lost in the South China Sea on 5 June 1968. CIA pilot, Jack Weeks
was flying what was to be the last operational A-12 mission from the overseas A-12 base at Kadena AB,
Okinawa. He was to fly a Functional Check Flight (FCF) due to an engine change. He was last heard from 520 miles East of Manila, Philippines. The loss was due to an in-flight emergency and the pilot did not survive. Once again the official news release identified the lost aircraft as an SR-71 and security was maintained. A few days later the two remaining A-12's on Okinawa flew to the US and were stored with the remainder of the OXCART (CIA) family. Investigation revealed no clue as to the disappearance of the A12 and pilot Jack Weeks. It remains a mystery to this day. There was speculation by some that Jack Weeks had defected to the other side. This is not true. Jack Weeks' widow was given posthumously his "CIA Intelligence Star for Valor" medal. The U.S. government would have never done that if there were indications that a defection occurred.

On 4 June 1968, Mr. Jack Weeks flew A-12 (#129) on a redeployment preparation and functional check flight due to replacement of the right engine. Taxi and takeoff were uneventful, as evidenced by the reception of the required Birdwatcher "Code A" transmission and the lack of any HF transmissions from the pilot. Refueling, 20 minutes after takeoff, was normal. At tanker disconnect, the A-12 had been airborne 33 minutes. The tanker crew observed the A-12 climbing on course in a normal manner. This was the last visual sighting of the aircraft. No further communications were received until 19 minutes later when a Birdwatcher transmission indicated right engine EGT was in excess of 860 degrees C. Seven seconds later, Birdwatcher indicated the right engine fuel flow was less than 7500 pounds per hour and repeated that EGT exceeded 860. Eight seconds later, Birdwatcher indicated that the A-12 was below 68,500 feet, and repeated the two previous warnings. This was the final transmission.

Several attempts were made to contact Weeks via HF-SSB, UHF, and Birdwatcher, but without success. Operation of recording and monitoring facilities at the home base continued until the time that the aircraft's fuel would have been exhausted, but no further transmissions were received. The aircraft was declared missing some 500 nautical miles east of the Philippines and 600 nautical miles south of Okinawa. The accident report declared that "No wreckage of aircraft number 129 (60-6932) was ever recovered. It is presumed totally destroyed at sea."

If the pilot was somehow rendered unconsious or other wise incapacatated, the craft would have hit the water with alot of force as well.

Despite several pilot surviving high speed catastrofic breakups of A-12/SR-71, im going to say the plane broke up at Mach 3 and high up and the derbits were so widely scattered they were never found

The recovered standby attitude indicator and airspeed indicator showed that the aircraft struck the water at 300 knots in a 20 degrees nose down and 110 degree bank turn, or almost upside down. [29] Upon impact, in less than a second, the plane would have been crushed, killing all aboard almost instantly.

Well you brought an old one John With the study that I've done in the mean time with crashes like swiss air flight 111 and the extreme break-up of that airframe and impact speed and angle.

en.wikipedia.org...

image the speed at the very least of the 71's impact and since 111 shattered into approx 2 million little parts.