Mantell UFO incident
EXPLAINED
Kentucky Highway Patrol reports of a large circular object near Maysville reached Godman Field, where tower staff saw it too. A flight of four Kentucky Air National Guard P-51 Mustangs was asked to investigate. Capt. Thomas Mantell kept climbing after his wingmen levelled off, blacked out without oxygen and died when his P-51 crashed on a farm south of Franklin.
Explanation
Project Blue Book (Ruppelt) concluded Mantell was most likely chasing a classified Navy Skyhook balloon, probably launched from Clinton County AFB, Ohio. Mantell climbed above 25,000 ft without oxygen and lost consciousness.
What was seen
Shape: Large bright object, "ice-cream cone" / metallic
Witnesses: Godman tower staff, police, 4 P-51 pilots
Duration: About 2.5 hours
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- 1940s
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