Aircraft #61-7978 first flew on July 5th, 1967, and deployed operationally, along with two other SR-71s, to Kadena AFB in March 1968. Shortly after arrival, groundcrews painted the rudders with the Playboy Bunny logo which remained there for most of its career, earning it the nickname "Rapid Rabbit". She was lost on Thursday, July 20, 1972, while attempting to land at Kadena AFB during extreme crosswinds. The braking parachute failed to slow the aircraft, forcing pilot Denny Bush to turn the landing attempt into a touch-and-go and try for a second go-round. He released the chute, took off, and attempted another landing. On the second attempt, Bush could not slow the aircraft down in time and she ran off the end of the runway, breaking the main landing gear and damaging more than just the paint on her underside. He and his RSO Jimmy Fagg escaped serious injury, but #978 was a total loss.
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