Blackbird Safety Record
 

I watched a 'History' Channel show this morning on the SR-71 Blackbird.
At the end of the show, a former Wing Commander (Pat Halloran) said that the SR-71 Blackbird is the ONLY USAF operational aircraft that has never lost an aircrew. This is an impressive achievement considering, as he said, the environment (altitude, airspeeds, and temperatures) at which the aircraft operated and in spite of being fired upon over 4,000 by the most sophisticated anti-air defenses in existence at the time.

USMCFLYR

I think the more correct statement is that no USAF crew was lost.

Not sure I see the difference in the wording - but I take it too mean that no USAF pilot or RSO was ever killed while flying a Blackbird.

USMCFLYR

I suppose if you said it was the only surveillance platform to never have lost an operational aircrew, then I would be likely to believe it.

So you don't believe what he said then?
I certainly can't go through all USAF operational aircraft, but I thnk about the ones that I know a little about I can't think of another. I assume that this statistic must be something of a badge of honor among SR-71 crews.
Your saying "operational aircrew" is a good way to put it though. That would seem to exclude to testing or training losses.

USMCFLYR

I know there were operational fatalities...maybe not on missions though. I know a sled driver dude, he knew a WSO who died IIRC. The claims sounds disingenuous.

One of those miracles of the internet :D
It seems this question was previously asked on a different military forum.
This website was given for reference.
If the information given in this website is accurate, then obviously Pat Halloran must have some different definition or criteria for his statement.

USMCFLYR

Only CIA and test crews were lost. Pat was a USAF wing commander, and no USAF crews were lost - that was a true statement. If the CIA wants to go try to launch drones (lost one launch control officer that way) or mount equipment in the cockpit that would possibly inhibit a successful ejection (rumored fatality cause), etc - the USAF doesn't need to claim those losses.

On a side note, what is the max mach and/or altitude a pilot could eject out of that plane. I watched the same show USMCFLYR.

Saw an SR that had beem flipped on its back with one main gear extended over at Kadena in the mid 70s, never heard what happened to the aircraft or crew.