The Mantell UFO Incident
A Kentucky Air National Guard pilot died in 1948 when his fighter crashed after he chased an unidentified object near Fort Knox.
- Region
- Kentucky
- Country
- USA
- Category
- UFO
- Date
- 7 January 1948
- Continent
- North America
The report
On 7 January 1948 the control tower at Godman Army Airfield, Fort Knox, reported an unidentified object, and four F-51 Mustangs were sent to investigate. Captain Thomas Mantell climbed after it, passing about 22,000 feet while his wingmen turned back, and his aircraft crashed on a farm near Franklin, Kentucky. The Air Force concluded that he lost consciousness through lack of oxygen. It first suggested he had been chasing Venus, later withdrawn, and then a secret Skyhook high-altitude balloon, though the explanation has not been universally accepted and rumours of alien involvement were rejected by the investigation.
Sources and further reading
Location
36.6678, -86.5578