Harrison Kass, an attorney and former Air Force pilot selectee, evaluates the harrowing 1966 "Mach 3 Breakup" of an SR-71 Blackbird, a survival story that redefined high-altitude flight safety.

The SR-71 did not simply fade into a museum corner; it left service with the same aura of speed and mystery that defined its entire career. Its retirement years were framed by record-setting dashes ...