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Mantell Case  Air National Guard pilot Thomas Mantell chases a flying saucer John F. Kennedy Dorothy Kilgallen Antonio Villas Boas Jackie Gleason The Mantell Case FLIER DIES
CHASING A FLYING SAUCER
New York Times, January 9, 1948. This case involves the circumstances surrounding the death of Kentucky Air National Guard Captain Thomas F. Mantell, Jr. Mantell was flying in an F-51 fighter plane along with two other air national guard planes. All three pilots spotted a large UFO moving slowly overhead. It was also reported by the Kentucky state police and many citizens on the ground.  Pilot Thomas Mantell "I'm closing in for a better look." These were the words Mantell radioed in as he and the other three pilots climbed to intercept the UFO. None of the planes were equipped with oxygen, and the planes were running low on fuel. The other two pilots turned back after reaching 22,000 feet. At the time Air National Guard regulations stated you had to have oxygen on board to exceed 14,000. Mantell continued to climb until 30,000 feet.  Pilot Thomas Mantell spins out of control Pilot Loses Consciousness Mantell's plane then went into a spin. The plane crashed and Mantell was killed. Mantell was still strapped to his seat and his watch had stopped at 3:18 p.m., the time of impact. It was well known that weather balloons were often flying in the area. Initially, it appeared Mantell had simply chased a weather balloon too high, lost consciousness from a lack of oxygen, and crashed. Now, as radio announcer Paul Harvey used to say, "Here's the rest of the story." * The commander of Godman Air Base was personally watching the UFO through his binoculars for over an hour during Mantell's flight. This guy knew weather balloons and as the commanding officer for an entire air base, he didn't have time to stand around observing a weather balloon. What's important here is the behavior. * Mantell's last radio transmission was: "My God, I see people in this thing!" * According to Mantell's instrument panel, he had stayed up for over an hour after his plane had run out of fuel. * A farmer who witnessed the crash said that as the plane fell and reached about forty feet, it was suddenly enveloped in a bright white light. Then the plane fell out of the light, flat, no longer spinning as before.  Thomas mantell's crashed plane, January 9, 1948 * Mantell died because his shoulder straps broke. He was thrown forward and the control stick punctured his chest. Had the straps not broken, judging from the remarkably undamaged condition of the plane, Mantell might have survived. * There was no damage to surrounding bushes, trees, or ground. There were no scrapes on the bottom of the plane. Clearly there had been no forward or sideways motion. The plane had been rather gently dropped from a height of about forty feet. A plane spinning down from 30,000 feet would have been completely demolished along with Mantell and the almost-intact watch. * Extraordinary sightings of similarly shaped UFOs were seen throughout the next several days over adjoining states. Some of the objects were seen traveling at incredible speeds. * The events of this case are well documented in public and military records. Brazilian Navy Case Gulf Breeze UFO Wave Travis Walton Case Home Page
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