FOIA: Lockburne AAB Sighting Investigation 07JAN48

Lockbourne_AAF_Ohio_Jan_7_1948.pdf

Lockburne AAB Ohio Sighting 07JAN48
Report by multiple witnesses of a bright triangular object with faint exhaust trails in the evening sky over Clinton county Ohio on 07JAN48 which is the same day as the Mantell crash and sighting.
Document date: 1111-11-11
Department: USAF Project SIGN
Author: Unknown
Document type: Investigation Report
pages: 55


Archivist's Notes: Some of the file is in poor condition. This incident is also determined to be a balloon on page one though there are reports that come to the conclusion that the object was Venus. Many witness reports from both ground and in-flight observations points, though a number of the names of the witnesses have been blacked out in this file.

PDF page 1 hand written note :
Date: 7 January 1948
Location: Godman, Kentucky
Observer: ( blacked out)
Evaluation: Balloon
This Case File is in the next following folder with accession number 7 – 3712 – 6



Archivist note:
According to the following witness statements, I would discredit the Balloon or Venus conspiracy.
With looking at the statements from multiple observers, I can only suspect that this object is truly a Unidentified Flying Object (extraterrestrial/ intraterrestrial or home made - I don't know)


• Observer Lt C. W. Thomas (pilot) at 7:53pm
Color = Amber - large object like a star of planet - 3000 feet altitude – speed seemed stationary


• Observer Charles E. McGee, Capt. USAF at 7:25pm
Color = white changed to yellowish to orange – large size of a floodlight – 3000 feet approx.- flashed on and off , fading out - moving slowly in a hovering manner – Exhaust trail : Bluish strake like a jet effect out from right



• Observer ????????
Color = white to amber and orange and red moving southeast – glowing object with a cone-shaped streak to the right – exhaust effect like a jet


• Observers Gale F. Walter, Col James Hudson, M/SGT Irvin H Lewis, S/Sgt John P.Haag, Sgt. Harold E. Olvis & T/Sgt (Control Tower operators and 4 members of the alert crew) at 7:20pm to 7:55pm
Color = red – hung suspended in the air at intervals and then gained and lost altitude at seemingly terrific burst of speed – Exhaust trails was gaseous green mist
Note: intense brightness of sky phenomena pierced thru a heavy layer of clouds passing intermittently over the area.
Here the report: Object appeared to be moving up and down and from side to side. At one time the object was covered by a cloud as a star only very much brighter sometimes charging to a more reddish hue then turning white or yellow. At first it did not appear to be traveling at any speed. Then it seemed to go up and down and sometimes change off and go from side to side at what seemed to be a very great speed. It seemed pretty high in the air – too high to be any kind of a light from the ground. There was no beam. No sound could be heard. A faint exhaust trail was discernible when it moved up or down or from side to side. Finally it began to move away toward the SW at very great speed and disappeared over the horizon at 8pm.

• Observer LeRoy Ziegler T/Sgt at 7:25pm (35minutes observed)
Color = same as a star – very large – stationary for a while and then made rapid ascents and descents at great speed – faint exhaust trail when moving up or down or from side to side

• Observer James H. Hudson Corporal at 7:20 pm
Color = White changing to red and to green – triangular shaped , larger than a star (surrounded with burning gas of something that emanated light) –hovered than moved with great speed – exhaust trail of green mist while ascending and descending

• Observer S/Sgt John P. Haag at 7:30pm (25minutes observed)
Color = red to green changing object moved from altitude 15,000 ft to 10,000 ft without noticeable forward or backward motion (about 3 or 4 times)



[edit on 10-1-2008 by frozen_snowman]

The first reports in this document are of sightings in Ohio on Jan. 7, 1948, which is just north of Kentucky where Capt. Mantel was flying his P-51 and was trying to get a closer look at the UFO and was killed when his plane crashed. These reports were no doubt compiled during the investigation, but may have no bearing on the case.

On page 6, the report said that they came to the conclusion that the object was the planet Venus, even though it was overcast that day until 19:00 hours, or 7:00 PM in the evening. It does not say the time of the sighting, but the first report of the object in Kentucky that Mantell was pursuing was at 1:45 PM. This doesn’t make any sense unless it was a separate incident.

Page 8 is a report from Air Materiel Command to Andrews AFB regarding Project Sign as the investigative body that deals with unexplained sightings with regards to balloons being the possible explanation.

The pilot incident reports that frozen_snowman has covered began on page 12.

The final page includes some newspaper clippings of various descriptions of the object ranging from a flaming red cone that left a gaseous green trail behind it, to a “ball of red fire”. It is hard to imagine with these descriptions how the official conclusion could be the planet Venus and later a skyhook balloon. Granted that many witnesses said the object was close to the horizon, and I know that when conditions are right, the atmosphere can cause colored light phenomenon and make a star look very strange when it is low in the sky, but I think this incident goes beyond that.

Related FOIA Document:
FOIA: PBB Investigaton File - Capt. Mantell Case 07Jan48
FOIA: PBB - Capt. Mantell Accident Investigation

Related Thread:
The Mantell Case – Mistaken Identity

Related Links:
Wikipedia: Mantell UFO Incident
TinWiki: Mantell Incident