Military7 Jan 1948Fort Knox, KY

Mantell incident

Name: Mantell incident
Start: 1948-01-07
Location: Fort Knox, KY

Capt. Thomas Mantell, the Kentucky Air National Guard pilot who died in the 1948 crash Kentucky National Guard, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Kentucky Air National Guard Capt. Thomas Mantell died when his F-51 crashed while climbing after an object reported by the Godman Field tower near Fort Knox. Investigators concluded he likely lost consciousness from lack of oxygen; a Navy Skyhook balloon is widely cited as the object.

Evidence

Significance

Sources

OfficialQuestions remain 75 years after mysterious Fort Knox UFO incident, downed pilot (opens in a new tab)U.S. Army (Fort Knox public affairs, army.mil) / 2023-01-06
OfficialFlying Saucers (OSI briefing, 14 August 1952), CIA-RDP81R00560R000100020013-6 (opens in a new tab)CIA FOIA Electronic Reading Room / 1952-08-14
FirsthandThe Report on Unidentified Flying Objects (Edward J. Ruppelt, 1956) (opens in a new tab)Project Gutenberg / 1956

How sources are chosen and tiered

8 Jul 1947Military

Roswell debris recovery

Roswell Army Air Field announced it had recovered a "flying disc" from a nearby ranch, and the Army said the next day it was a weather balloon. A 1994 Air Force report concluded the debris most likely came from Project Mogul, a then-secret balloon program.

Evidence

Significance

19 Jul 1946Military

Swedish ghost rockets and the Lake Kolmjarv impact

In summer 1946 Swedes reported hundreds of rocket-like objects; on July 19 witnesses saw one dive into Lake Kolmjarv, but an army search of the lakebed found nothing. A Defence Staff committee attributed many reports to meteors, suspected Soviet tests for the rest, and never found proof.

Evidence

Significance

19 Jul 1952Military

Washington, D.C. radar sightings

On two weekends in July 1952, radar at Washington National Airport and Andrews AFB tracked unexplained targets, some matched by pilot sightings, and jets were sent to intercept. The Air Force publicly suggested temperature inversions as a likely cause.

Evidence

Significance

23 Nov 1953Military

Kinross F-89 disappearance

An F-89C interceptor flown by 1st Lt. Felix Moncla Jr. with radar operator 2nd Lt. Robert Wilson vanished over Lake Superior after being vectored toward an unknown radar target. The Air Force said the target was an off-course Canadian C-47; no wreckage or crew were found.

Evidence

Significance