In addition to their A-12 chase and training duties, these F-101 Voodoos were tasked with the interception of any unauthorized aircraft entering the restricted airspace around Groom Lake
Since 1955, some of America’s most highly classified aircraft programs have been tested at a secluded Nevada airfield constructed on a dry lakebed known as Groom Lake, or “The Ranch” to those who worked there.
Among the aircraft flown and evaluated at the site was the Lockheed U-2. Then, in 1961, the facility began preparing for the arrival of a revolutionary new aircraft with extraordinary performance. Developed for the CIA by Lockheed’s Skunk Works, the A-12 was designed to conduct reconnaissance missions over virtually any target while flying above 80,000 feet at speeds greater than Mach 3. If successful, its unmatched altitude and speed would make it nearly impossible to intercept. It was also the first aircraft to bear the name that would later become legendary: Blackbird.
According to Ronald Easley in The F-101 Voodoo: An Illustrated History of McDonnell’s Heavyweight Fighter, support aircraft for the A-12 program started arriving at Groom Lake in the spring of 1962 as part of the 1129th Special Activities Squadron, Detachment 1, better known as the “Roadrunners.” These aircraft included two T-33 trainers for proficiency missions, a C-130 transport, a Cessna U-3B for liaison work, an HH-43 helicopter for crash rescue, and an F-104 supplied by Lockheed for supersonic chase operations. The largest group of support aircraft consisted of eight F-101B and F-101F Voodoos, which were used both for companion training and as pace-chase aircraft for A-12 crews. A-12 flight testing at Groom Lake began in April 1962.
On May 24, 1963, Jack Weeks was piloting an F-101B in a pace-chase role alongside A-12 Article 123, flown by CIA pilot Ken Collins, during a subsonic engine test and navigation training mission. After completing one route from Groom Lake to Austin, Nevada, to Wendover, Utah, and back, the two aircraft remained in close formation at 34,000 feet and Mach 0.85 as they neared Wendover on their second circuit. Weather conditions were deteriorating, with cumulus clouds forming below and cirrus clouds above. As Weeks began a left turn over Wendover to return to Groom Lake, the F-101’s stall warning horn activated. He eased out of the turn and increased airspeed in an effort to get above the cirrus layer, since he was intermittently losing visual contact with the A-12.
At the same time, Collins noticed that the A-12’s indicated airspeed and Mach readings were rising even though he was climbing and had not changed power settings. Although the aircraft otherwise seemed normal, he radioed Weeks that he appeared to be having airspeed problems. Soon afterward, his instruments showed a rapid loss of airspeed. Collins pushed the A-12 into a dive to regain speed, but the airspeed indication failed to respond, confirming that the issue was with the instruments rather than the aircraft’s actual performance. He informed Weeks that he was in trouble as the A-12 began to stall. The aircraft then pitched upward and entered an inverted flat spin at 30,000 feet. After transmitting a broken message that he was spinning, Collins abandoned further recovery attempts and ejected safely. The A-12 crashed about 50 miles west of the Great Salt Lake.
Weeks remained overhead in his F-101, attempting to contact Collins by radio, and then issued a mayday reporting that his wingman was in trouble roughly 70 miles southeast of Elko, Nevada. Because the cloud cover was becoming too dense to see through, he returned to Groom Lake and, after receiving replies to his distress call, told responders to disregard them since the base had already begun taking action. Groom Lake launched a search effort that included two F-101s, a T-33, a C-47, and a U-3B to locate both the pilot and the wreckage. Another F-101 was positioned between Groom Lake and Wendover to relay communications, while an HH-43 helicopter and a Cessna 180 were kept on standby in case medical transport was needed.
Collins, who was wearing a standard flight suit because the mission did not involve high-altitude operations, had already been found and taken to a local highway patrol station, where he reported that he was safe. Once the crash site was identified, the wreckage was carefully recovered and transported back to Area 51 for disposal. To preserve secrecy, the press was informed that the crash involved an F-105 Thunderchief from Nellis Air Force Base on a test mission. Investigators later determined that the aircraft’s pitch-up event was caused by a frozen pitot tube due to inadequate heating, which disrupted the stability augmentation system and led to a speed-related loss of control.
Beyond their roles in chase and training operations, the Voodoos were also responsible for intercepting any unauthorized aircraft that entered the restricted airspace around Groom Lake. Two of the F-101Bs assigned there were destroyed in fatal accidents. The first occurred on June 1, 1967, when forward-deployed aircraft 56-0272 crashed at Kadena Air Base, Japan, resulting in the death of Lieutenant Colonel Weldon King. The second happened on September 27, 1967, when F-101B 56-0286, flown by Lieutenant Colonel James S. Simon Jr., was serving as a chase aircraft for the TA-12 (Article 124) during a night landing at Groom Lake. Simon’s aircraft struck the ground near the south end of the runway while attempting to land.
At least three F-101Bs from the 1129th SAS were rotated through Kadena Air Base. Unlike standard F-101Bs, some of the squadron’s aircraft had been modified with a boom-refueling receptacle. Among the pilots assigned to the 1129th SAS was Lieutenant Colonel Ray W. Schrecengost Jr., known for “Sun-Run” and recognized for his particularly deep experience with the Voodoo.
In the spring and summer of 1968, A-12 operations were gradually phased out as the SR-71 reached full operational readiness, and the 1129th SAS was officially deactivated in January 1969. During a ceremony held on June 26, 1968, members of the 1129th SAS received the Air Force Outstanding Unit Citation. For many of their family members who attended, it was the first indication of the secretive and significant work these men had been carrying out.
The F-101 Voodoo an Illustrated History of McDonnell’s heavyweight Fighter is published by Schiffer Publishing and is available to order here.
Photo by U.S. Air Force and CIA
