Incident #33: Godman Field UAP Sighting and Subsequent Investigation

This document is a comprehensive collection of reports, statements, and correspondence regarding the UAP sighting at Godman Field, Kentucky, on 7 January 1948, which resulted in the death of Captain Thomas F. Mantell, Jr. The incident began when military police and civilian observers reported a large, circular, metallic object in the sky. Military personnel at Godman Field, including the Commanding Officer, Colonel Guy F. Hix, and tower operators, observed the object and tracked it using a theodolite. In an attempt to identify the object, four P-51 aircraft en route to Standiford Field were diverted to intercept it. Captain Mantell, the flight leader, reported the object was 'metallic of tremendous size' and continued to climb in pursuit. His last radio transmission indicated he was at 15,000 feet and still climbing. Shortly thereafter, his aircraft crashed near Franklin, Kentucky. The document includes detailed statements from witnesses, including PFC Stanley Oliver, T/Sgt Quinton A. Blackwell, and Lt. Paul I. Orner, who provided varying descriptions of the object, including an 'ice cream cone,' a 'parachute,' and a 'bright light.' The investigation, which was part of Project SIGN, explicitly rejected the theory that the object was the planet Venus, noting that the object's behavior and appearance were inconsistent with such an explanation. The file also contains later correspondence from 1964, indicating that the Federal Aviation Agency and the Civil Aeronautics Board were still seeking medical data regarding the crash to compare with other incidents involving pilot hypoxia. The document serves as a primary record of one of the most significant early UAP cases in the United States, highlighting the military's confusion and the tragic loss of life associated with the pursuit of an unidentified aerial phenomenon.