SR-71 969

What ever happened to the wreckage of this Blackbird crash near Korat AFB. I have looked around, but can't find much info. Did the Air Force never recover it? I'm sure they wouldn't have let the aircraft just sit in foreign territory. If anyone has answers, they'd be greatly appreciated.

reply to post by bdn12


Lost on 10 May 1970 near Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base (RTAFB), Thailand. After refueling the aircraft was in a climb back to altitude, when it entered a huge thunderstorm with clouds well above 45,000 ft. Both engines flamed out and unable to save the aircraft both USAF Pilot/ RSO: Maj. William Lawson/ Maj. Glibert Martinez ejected safely.

Photo of the base as it is now



And here are our pilots as well.

[edit on 1-2-2008 by Canada_EH]

Well the internet hasn't coughed up any info on the "actual site" or the recovery. I'm sure someone has documents out there or images but its probably in a book I don't own (excuse to go shopping). Shadowhawk usually checks into the forums once every week or so. When he does I'm sure he has a book that would give a bit more then the stock info.

[edit on 1-2-2008 by Canada_EH]

Sorry. All I've got is that it crashed "near Korat RTAFB." I have never researched the exact location because I figured I would probably never visit the crash site. Instead I focused my efforts on finding crash sites in the CONUS (two A-12, one YF-12A, one D-21B, one SR-71B, and five SR-71A).

reply to post by Shadowhawk


Well can't blame you for thinking you'll never go to the crash site. Just was wondering if you have ever come across information on its crash site.

Do you have any recommendations on how we could go about getting that information Pete?

As far as I have ever heard, ALL Blackbird crashes that occured in an area they could be recovered were, and returned to the US. Even the bird that got buried on Habu Hill was dug up and returned to the US. There WAS one that they were talking about dumping at sea because it would have been so difficult to return it to the US, not sure of tail number however. Between the titanium being so expensive and so difficult to work with, and the fact that even the highest ranking members of the USAF had no idea what the Blackbird could do, they wouldn't take any chances on leaving one somewhere it could be recovered by someone else.

reply to post by Zaphod58


I don't doubt that they would of recovered the airframe but as pete has proven many times now with both A-12 and SR-71 crashes near Groomlake that there is usually something left no matter how small or large sometimes. It would also be able to have better information on the actual crash itself but since both pilots survived it may not be as well documented.

Not for FOIMA do you have to be an american? because there are time I'd sure like to be able to request documents such as this one .


[edit on 2-2-2008 by Canada_EH]

Oh sure, they left pieces behind, but nothing larger than about the palm of your hand or so, and nothing critical. The largest portion of the wreckage would have either been returned to the US, or dumped at sea.

You could request the crash report from the Air Force Safety Agency (or whatever it's called now). A FOIA quest may or may not be necessary, but it's just a formality. The information is almost entirely declassified. The reports vary in the amount of specific information about crash site location.

I'm not sure why Zaphod58 thinks there would be nothing left that is "larger than about the palm of your hand, or so," as that does not match my experience. In any case there should be debris remaining at the crash site as long as it hasn't been paved over or otherwise eradicated through human use. The SR-71B crash site in northern California was turned into a rice paddy. At some sites, the wreckage was simply pushed into the impact crater and covered over.

Because I've read reports of the recovery of other crashes that happened. Anything large enough to be found, and anything that might have been important was recovered. I've also been to crash sites, that within a few days there was NOTHING left. Between souvenier hunters and the recovery teams the whole site was picked over in no time flat. If you're talking in the middle of the desert such as the Area 51 area that's one thing. Khorat AB has a pretty significant population around it. The USAF would have done everything they could have to recover as much of the plane as possible, especially during the time frame of this crash, and the people living there would have gotten most of the rest.

In the 1990s when they brought back the Blackbirds, the highest ranking officers of the USAF in MANY cases had no idea what they were capable of. Do you really think that they would have left any significant wreckage, of their most top secret recon platform, in a FOREIGN COUNTRY laying around where someone could have recovered it?

I'm not sure what you mean by "significant wreckage." I'm sure the Air Force took whatever they thought was necessary for security and investigation purposes. I'm just speaking from my experience of visiting over 100 crash sites, some in remote areas and others in populated areas. As long as the site hasn't been developed, there always seems to be lots of interesting stuff to find. I've read at least one report that claimed "all traces" of the aircraft were removed from the crash site, but this turned out to be highly inaccurate.

And I'm not saying they took everything with them. I'm saying that anything they thought might be remotely significant, and any larger pieces of any size they would have recovered and removed. Especially considering the time, and the fact that it was in a foreign country. I stand by what I said earlier that the larges pieces left were probably about the size of your hand, or a little bit larger, but not much.

thanx for all the replies. My thinking is the same as yours zaphod-I wouldn't think the Air Force would leave a wreckage such as this in a foreign country. I just found it interesting though that there were no sources that said the plane was recovered. Also, how did you find out that the wreckage buried at kadena was dug up and returned to the u.s.? I read in SR-71:Stories, Tales, and Legends by Richard Graham that the Blackbird that crashed in 1989 off the coast of a filipino island was recovered, but then dumped in Mariana's Trench?!?

I don't remember where I read it, but I remember reading when the Det there shut down and returned to the US they dug it up and put it on a C-5 and sent it back to the US. I'll try to find the source for that.

Maybe so but I'm guessing neither of us will ever know for sure as it is unlikely we will ever visit this particular crash site. I wasn't trying to get a whole "thing" going here. I was merely making an observation based on personal experience. I have been to sites that presumably should have been sanitized but weren't. What remains is often surprising, to say the least. At any rate, I think we are dragging this thread off-topic by speculating about trivial details. Maybe someone else can get it back on track.

reply to post by Shadowhawk


I was stationed at utapao in 1970 and i remember trucks going out one night with nf2's. They went out to get engines of a sr71 that crashed near or in cambodia. It has been quite awhile but I'm sure I saw them at the jet shop next day. Maybe a jet mechanic that worked there at this time can verify this.

Wow. Some first hand information from a guy stationed in Thailand at the time. That's very interesting. Too bad he isn't a member. Do any of you know how many of these anonymous posts are actually accurate?

in what way bdn12?
As far as I understand they are as accurate as any of us posting since you have to assume and guess on all the same identity and truth issues. Only difference being that he is not a registered user of ATS. Don't get me wrong the positives of a post like this are far out weighed by the cons of crap posts that get through and the resurrecting of long dead threads.

Loss #16 61-17969 (SR-71A) Lost on 10 May 1970 during an operational mission from Kadena, Okinawa against North Vietnam. Shortly after air-refueling, the pilot, Major William E. Lawson initiated a normal full power climb. Stretching before him was a solid bank of cloud containing heavy thunderstorm activity which reached above 45,000'. Heavy with fuel, the aircraft was unable to maintain a high rate of climb and as it entered turbulence both engines flamed out. The RPM dropped to a level too low for restarting the engines. Pilot and RSO, Major Gilbert Martinez ejected safely after the aircraft stalled. The crew were rescued near U Tapao, Thailand. The plane crashed near Korat RTAFB, Thailand.