Plunging from 83,000 feet after a sudden engine "unstart," a reconnaissance crew faced certain death over Soviet waters until a high-stakes restart defied the laws of physics.
By Kris Osborn, Warrior Maven
Most aviation enthusiasts are quite familiar with the famous Cold War SR-71 Blackbird spy plane’s ability to outrun missiles by flying at speeds of Mach 3, yet comparatively few may be aware of the famous 1984 “Murmansk” incident wherein the aircraft simply began to drop from the sky at 83,000 feet. The aircraft was conducting a critical, highly-sensitive Cold War reconnaissance mission to monitor the Russian Navy when a technical complication called an “unstart” caused the aircraft to lose thrust and start “dropping” thousands of feet into the Barents Sea. Just at the point where “ejection” would have been the only option for the crew, pilots were able to “restart” the aircraft and essentially resurrect its lift and flight.
Built by the legendary Skunk Works division, the SR-71 was designed to do something no other aircraft of its era could accomplish: fly so high and so fast that enemy defenses would be unable to stop it. Cruising at speeds above Mach 3 and altitudes exceeding 80,000 feet, the Blackbird was uniquely positioned to offer the U.S. a decided advantage over its Soviet rival.
An SR-71 “Unstart”
Building an aircraft able to fly at unparalleled speeds of Mach 3 involved complex engineering which included some technical risks, one of which is known as an “unstart.” An “unstart” happens when the airflow traveling through the engine intake is disrupted, causing aerodynamic instability and an instant loss of thrust. The risk of an “unstart” emerged as a result of the complex Pratt & Whitney J58 unconventional jet engines which functioned like “ramjets” at high speed. It does not seem surprising that efforts to push the boundaries of high-speed flight would present significant technological risks.
The Murmansk “Drop”
The incident took place during a reconnaissance mission near the Soviet Kola Peninsula, close to the strategic naval facilities around Murmansk. The aircraft involved was piloted by Joseph Matthews, while Reconnaissance Systems Officer Curt Osterheld managed the sophisticated radar and surveillance equipment from the rear cockpit. Their mission was part of a routine intelligence-gathering operation intended to monitor Soviet submarine and naval activity in the region
As the Blackbird approached its closest point to Murmansk, the right engine experienced a severe intake “unstart.” A significant essay on the incident in 1945 Magazine explains how Osterheld later described the event by saying the aircraft yawed sideways so violently that it felt as though the SR-71 was flying sideways through the atmosphere. At Mach 3, even the slightest imbalance in thrust could create catastrophic forces. Matthews immediately recognized the danger. To counter the asymmetric drag caused by the failed engine, he shut down the second engine as well. While this restored balance, it also meant the aircraft now had no thrust at all. In less than two minutes, the aircraft reportedly dropped from 83,000 feet to around 18,000 feet.
Falling Like a Brick
A 2017 essay on the incident in History.net cites Osterheld describing the aircraft’s descent as “falling like a brick.” Within moments, the aircraft began plunging downward toward the icy waters of the Barents Sea. The crew experienced crushing G-forces during the desperate attempt to recover control. Meanwhile, Soviet radar operators and NATO tracking stations observed the dramatic altitude loss in real time, unsure whether the aircraft was crashing or under attack. Finally, after several failed attempts, Matthews managed a manual restart of the engines. The aircraft stabilized and recovered from its steep descent just in time to avoid disaster. However, recovering thrust did not end the danger for the Blackbird as the aircraft did not have enough fuel to return to base, something which prompted an immediate tanker aircraft coordination. The aircraft eventually linked up with a tanker near Norway and received enough fuel to continue the journey home.
Kris Osborn is the Military Technology Editor of 1945. Osborn is also President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University