www.habu.org - 06928 - Blackbird Photo Archive

60-6928

928 on the runway at Groom Dry Lake - photo courtesy Lockheed Martin

928 was lost on Thursday, January 5, 1967. She ran out of fuel (due to a faulty fuel gauge) and crashed while on approach to Groom Dry Lake. CIA pilot Walt Ray ejected but did not survive. For a detailed account of the crash, and one man's 27-month quest to find the site, visit Tom Mahood's The Hunt for 928.

Ray Scalise was a Fire Control Officer on the YF-12 during the early test program at Groom Dry Lake, and knew Walt Ray personally. Click here to download an html book from Ray with recollections about Walt and his last flight.

928 and 930 partially in the hangar at Groom Dry Lake, sometime in 1964 - photo courtesy TD Barnes

Another view of the two camels - photo courtesy TD Barnes

Very often you hear people who were involved with the Oxcart Program refer to the aircraft by their Article Number (which is also their Lockheed serial number) instead of the last three digits of their tail number. 928 would then be known as Article 125. Not everyone followed this rule; as you can see in this detailed view, whoever marked the rear engine covers for Article 125 apparently liked referring to the airframes by their tail numbers. - photo courtesy TD Barnes

17950 17951 17952 17953 17954 17955 17956 17957 17958 17959

17960 17961 17962 17963 17964 17965 17966 17967 17968 17969

17970 17971 17972 17973 17974 17975 17976 17977 17978 17979

17980 17981

06924 06925 06926 06927 06928 06929 06930 06931 06932 06933 06934 06935 06936 06937 06938 06939 06940 06941

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