Subject: SR-71 - Landing at Grand Forks, ND ANG Base
Edited by David Barth, November 21, 2008
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SR-71 in flight |
Preface: The author of this account is unknown, but he was probably a member of the Air Force and based at Grand Forks AFB during the SR-71 visit.
Around 1968 an SR-71 made an emergency landing at Grand Forks AFB and was parked between two B-52 hangers close to the North/South road that paralleled the base runway. The aircraft was completely visible to anyone using the road.
Immediately after landing, Grand Forks AFB security established machine gun nests close to the plane. The two man crew could not exit the plane until a C-130 arrived from Edwards AFB with the ground support equipment and aircraft technicians to evacuate the crew and fix the problem.
Of course, everyone on the base came to see the plane, and security had to control traffic. In a couple of days, the fixes were accomplished, and the SR-71 exited the base heading north. A few minutes later it returned at a very low altitude, at tremendous speed, in a fly-by. It was awesome and was probably witnessed by about everyone on the base.
Links to additional SR-71 Articles:
SR-71 - Inflight Breakup
SR-71 - Ceiling
SR-71 - Landing at Buckley ANG Base
SR-71 - Cancellation
SR-71 - Flight over France
SR-71 - Landing at Grand Forks, ND AFB
SR-71 - History
SR-71 - Flight over Libya
SR-71 - Navy challenge
SR-71 - Fueling from KC-135 Tankers
SR-71 - Titanium construction